Open letter to President Mnangagwa on state of health care in Zimbabwe

7th May 2025

His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa
Office of the President
Munhumutapa Building
Samora Machel Ave
Harare

Subject: Urgent Concerns Regarding Misleading Information on the State of Healthcare in Zimbabwe.

Your Excellency,

I am writing to express my profound concern that information regarding the state of the healthcare system in Zimbabwe, as presented by Ministry of Health officials, may be misleading and failing to capture the true extent of the challenges faced by ordinary citizens.

While I acknowledge the Ministry’s efforts to highlight achievements, I believe a critical examination of the underlying issues is necessary for effective solutions. The population pressure on government medical services has increased significantly, yet investment in catering for this population explosion has been neglected. This could have been addressed through strategic establishment of new, larger referral hospitals, for example, in rapidly growing areas such as Epworth and Kuwadzana, to serve surrounding communities.

However, my primary concern lies with the ethical conduct of some health practitioners, particularly those attached to government health facilities. There is a disturbing trend of these practitioners establishing private hospitals and incentivising nurses to refer patients to their facilities for personal monetary gain. This practice undermines the integrity of the public healthcare system and compromises patient care.

It is particularly troubling that a hospital as large as Parirenyatwa has not experienced senior doctors’ strikes over the lack of medication. Yet, these same doctors, in their private hospitals, maintain pharmacies that surprisingly stock critical, yet uncommon, medications for clients referred to them. This raises questions about the distribution and availability of essential drugs within the public sector.

It appears that greed has reached alarming levels within the medical profession in Zimbabwe and the oath taken by health professionals has been disregarded for personal enrichment. This erosion of ethical standards is detrimental to the entire healthcare system and the well-being of the nation.

Therefore, I respectfully request Your Excellency to:
a. Investigate the allegations of unethical conduct within the medical profession: Conduct a thorough and independent inquiry into the practice of incentivised referrals and the potential diversion of resources from public to private facilities.
b. Re-evaluate the information provided by Ministry of Health officials: Ensure that the information presented to you accurately reflects the challenges and realities faced by the healthcare system.
C. Prioritise investment in public healthcare infrastructure:Allocate resources to establish new referral hospitals in rapidly growing areas to alleviate pressure on existing facilities and improve access to care.
d. Strengthen oversight and regulation of private healthcare providers: Implement measures to ensure that private hospitals operate ethically and do not exploit the public healthcare system for personal gain.
e. Reinforce ethical standards within the medical profession: Promote a culture of integrity and accountability among healthcare professionals through education, training and enforcement of ethical codes of conduct.

I believe that by addressing these critical issues, your administration can restore trust in the healthcare system, improve access to quality care for all Zimbabweans and ensure that the medical profession upholds its ethical obligations.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Your Obedient Son

Engineer Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi