Freedom Mashava, Visuals Editor 
ZIMBABWE’S health sector needs at least US$1,3 billion to pay workers and refurbish equipment and facilities, a senior government official has said.
Paulinus Sikhosana, the Health Services Board (HSB) executive chairman, told The Financial Gazette that problems in the sector were emanating from deteriorating economic conditions in the country. “One of the major weaknesses of our health system is heavy dependence on donor funding and donor funds are not reliable. bout 55 to 60 percent of the Health ministry budget is funded by donors and this result in us getting about US$700 million out of the required US$1,3 billion and this has an impact on what proportion on human resources, he said.
Obadiah Moyo, Minister of Health
The southern African country’s health sector, which used to be among the best in Africa, has over the years been dogged by industrial action, lack of essential drugs and equipment, and collapsing infrastructure due to lack of funding. Health workers have been on strike since last week pressing for better salaries and conditions of work — after they rejected government’s offer of a US$75 Covid-19 allowance for the next three months, and a 50 percent salary increase. Apart from poor remuneration for health workers, public hospitals and clinics across the country also lack basic drugs, and are saddled with antiquated equipment.
Sikhosana also bemoaned the conditions of service for doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers. “I agree that the conditions of service for health workers … are not satisfactory basically because of the economic performance. “They can’t be comfortable when the rest of the workers in the country are not comfortable,” he said.
Sikhosana also said pleas to the government to remunerate doctors and nurses well were not being heeded. “We are trying to convince the Treasury to fulfil their obligation in order to motivate workers so that the situation can be improved. “We have communicated to the secretary of Health … e have noted that there are issues that need to be addressed. We compiled a report and sent it to the secretary for Health,” he said. “I am quite aware of the challenges that the Zimbabwe health sector is experiencing. I have written a book on that which I have given to the Health ministry. “I haven’t given up in terms of what can be done to improve the plight of the health workers, Sikhosana added.
He also said the board was waiting to hear from the government regarding the way forward on the current doctors’ and nurses’ strike. “The board sets conditions of service for health workers and does this in consultation with Treasury. The negotiations for these are done through the Health Service Bipartite Negotiation Panel (HSBNP). “In this framework, the board normally makes recommendations to Treasury, whose response usually informs the HSBNP negotiations. “The board is awaiting a mandate from the government through Treasury on the demands by the health workers,” Sikosana said. He also dismissed allegations that the HSB commissioners were living large, buying expensive vehicles and pocketing hefty allowances at the expense of doctors and nurses.
This comes after the HSB recently took delivery of Land over Discovery 6 vehicles, a development that irked healthcare workers. Conditions of service for commissions, including the HSB, are contractual, set and harmonised by central government across commissions. To this extent, the correct record of events is that the board members were offered the conditions of service and personal issue vehicles by the central government. “The board has no allocation for such expenditure as its budget is for recurrent costs and capital expenditure. “The vehicles that the government issued to us are Discovery 6s. e get two vehicles and we have six commissioners. You will be aware that these Discovery 6 cars are more than 50 in government. e were not favoured. ll other commissioners were allocated. e were actually the last to be allocated two vehicles, Sikhosana said.
