According to the UN Human Rights Council report #AHRC5133Add2 released at UNGA in 2022: since illegal sanctions were imposed on Zimbabwe:
1. The Zimbabwean budget for healthcare was reduced from 10.8% of GDP to 7%, yet the AU target is 15%.
2. Vacancy rates for doctors are 69%, 61% for trauma nurses and 69% for midwives.
3. Pharmacies only carry 39% of essential medicines.
4. The government can’t buy life-saving medicines and machines because eastern and western medical suppliers fear secondary sanctions by the US, and some banks refuse to transfer payments to medical suppliers, fearing penalties, secondary sanctions and criminal prosecution by the U.S. Treasury.
As a result of the above realities, we are told Mutare General Hospital did not have the ICU equipment and staff to save the young doctor.
Additionally, the hospital did not have a helipad or ground lights to land a medical helicopter to transfer the doctor, and as a result, he lost his life.
So, you can continue lying to yourself that sanctions are targeted. But when you get into an accident, you may also succumb to treatable injuries, as did Morgan Tsvangirai’s wife 15 years ago and his daughter in 2019, all because you can’t access the best emergency services and medical treatment due to Morgan Tsvangiraiβs sanctions against Zimbabwe.
Or, we can wise-up and unite to fight sanctions so that we can improve healthcare and increase our chances of surviving traffic accidents. It’s up to us as Zimbabweans.
By Rutendo Matinyarare, Chairman of ZASM.
