By Staff Reporter
As Zimbabwe joins the rest of the world in commemorating International Workers’ Day, the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) has called on the government to urgently address the deteriorating state of the health sector, particularly the plight of health workers and the country’s neglected primary health care (PHC) system.
In a statement released to mark Workers’ Day 2025, CWGH Executive Director Mr. Itai Rusike expressed solidarity with Zimbabwean workers across all sectors, including those in the informal economy, while calling for bold reforms in the health sector to improve working conditions, healthcare delivery, and resource allocation.
The deplorable state of the country’s health system requires urgent attention, especially giving priority to revitalizing the primary health care concept and philosophy that once made Zimbabwe a health leader in the SADC region,” said Mr. Rusike.
This year’s national theme, “End Corruption, End Workers’ Exploitation: Workers United for Social Justice,” struck a powerful chord with the CWGH, which noted that health workers—once celebrated as the backbone of the system—have become invisible victims of systemic neglect.
According to CWGH, the public health system continues to suffer from crumbling infrastructure, obsolete equipment, chronic drug shortages, and an underpaid, overstretched workforce. Despite ongoing health threats such as HIV, TB, malaria, cholera, and the lingering impact of COVID-19, the government’s allocation to the health sector remains well below international benchmarks.
“Infrastructure in hospitals is dilapidated, medicines and supplies are in short supply, and healthcare personnel across all levels are inadequate and poorly motivated,” said Mr. Rusike. “This is happening against a background of paltry and inconsistent funding from the national fiscus.”
CWGH also expressed grave concern over the continuing brain drain that has plagued Zimbabwe’s health sector for decades. Skilled healthcare workers trained locally continue to leave for better-paying jobs abroad, leaving gaps that remain unfilled and undermining national health targets.
“The country has failed to stabilize the brain drain. Health professionals are being trained, but they do not stay to serve in the system. Instead, they are enriching other countries, while our health institutions suffer glaring gaps,” Rusike said.
The organisation urged the government to develop concrete, long-term strategies to strengthen the health system in anticipation of donor transitions, as major international funders begin scaling down their support. CWGH emphasised the need for innovative, domestic health financing mechanisms that support a revitalised primary health care strategy and progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
“The impending withdrawal of major funders should be factored into national planning for domestic health resource mobilization. We need a new financing model that is resilient, equitable, and focused on preventative, community-level care,” said Rusike.
The CWGH also highlighted the harsh realities faced by Zimbabweans in remote and marginalised communities, where the nearest clinic is often more than 30 kilometres away. The group criticised the lack of functioning ambulances, poor roads, and the increasing costs of care at public health institutions—costs that many Zimbabweans simply cannot afford.
“Some patients are transported in wheelbarrows and scotch-carts to clinics. Where ambulances exist, they often have no fuel or can’t navigate impassable roads. This defeats the policy goal of having a clinic within every 10-kilometre radius,” noted Mr. Rusike.
He added that the increasing commodification of healthcare services in public institutions has effectively excluded the poor from receiving lifesaving care.
“Patients are now being asked to pay for blood, diagnostics, drugs, and sundries at public hospitals. Poor people depend on public health services and cannot afford private care. This is a gross injustice,” he said.
CWGH reaffirmed its solidarity with the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and all workers, noting that many continue to work under unsafe, underpaid, and inhumane conditions. The organisation reiterated that improving the health of workers must go hand in hand with improving the conditions under which they live and work.
“Empowered and healthy workers yield better results. Investing in health is not just a moral obligation—it is a driver of economic productivity and national development,” said Rusike.
The organisation, a network of national membership-based civil society and community organisations, said it remains committed to advocating for a people-centred health system and amplifying the voices of communities.
