By Kudakwashe Pembere
Finance Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Mthuli Ncube says to date US$18 million has been raised through the beverage sugar tax with the disbursement of the money yet to be finalized.
The money is to be channelled towards cancer treatment services in Zimbabwe.
In July, he told the Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora that US$8 million had been generated with the latest figure showing a US$10 million increment.
The Finance Minister told HealthTimes after a Zimbabwe Development Cooperation Policy Dialogue Forum that plans are underway to buy cancer treatment drugs and equipment.
So far, we’ve collected US$18 million equivalent. And the Minister of Health and us are working on finalizing the procurement for cancer drugs as well as cancer equipment, including a gamma knife machine. So, we’re working on that. It will eventually be disbursed for that purpose,” he said.
Since January 2024 when the sugar tax was effected amidst much opposition from beverage manufacturers, the Health and Child Care Ministry has been in the dark on the amount raised through the tax.
The sugar tax pronouncement saw sugar and beverage manufacturers initially being levied US$0.002 per gram sparking an outcry leading to a downward review to US$0.001 per gram in February after considering potential disasters it would bring to the industry viability and employment.
The Government last year procured advanced radiotherapy machines for cancer treatment, which were installed at two major public hospitals.
Treasury disbursed US$2,4 million to acquire the state-of-the-art radiotherapy machines for Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and Mpilo Central Hospital, the two largest public hospitals that offer cancer treatment.
In July, the Health Minister speaking to Development partners supporting the Health sector noted timeous monthly updates were important for the Health Ministry’s planning.
“So, we were hoping that we get updated probably every month to say at the end of the month, we now have so much in the pocket,” the Health Minister said.
“To say at the end of the month, the pocket has grown so much. We also know how to plan to say we want to buy this equipment. To say we saved this much to buy equipment,” the partners heard.
