By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
Harare –The High-Level National Health Financing Dialogue held yesterday at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) brought to light the pressing issue of underfunding in Zimbabwe’s health sector, despite the government’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
In a keynote address, Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. (Dr) Douglas Mombeshora, outlined both the government’s ongoing efforts and the significant challenges faced in fortifying the nation’s health system.
He articulated Zimbabwe’s aspiration to provide high-quality health services to all citizens, aligning this vision with the national goal of becoming an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
Dr. Mombeshora emphasized the dialogue’s theme, “More Health for the Money and More Money for Health,” which underscores the critical need to optimize health expenditure while simultaneously increasing financial resources dedicated to the sector.
“Efficient health financing is essential to improving health outcomes. We must make every dollar work harder for the betterment of our healthcare system, while also striving to increase financial commitments from all sectors,” he stated.
Despite highlighting recent achievements, such as the early attainment of UNAIDS’ 95:95:95 targets and a 76% reduction in malaria cases this year, the Minister did not shy away from addressing the stark reality of ongoing underfunding.
With the government’s health budget allocation sitting at a mere 9.8% of the total national budget for 2024 falling significantly short of the 15% target set by the Abuja Declaration.
“While we have made strides, we are still far from achieving Universal Health Coverage,” he acknowledged.
This huge gap in underfunding poses serious risks to Zimbabwe’s health system, which is struggling to meet the growing healthcare demands of its citizens. Dr. Mombeshora emphasized the urgent need for more substantial investments to ensure that adequate health services are available to all.
Echoing these concerns, Deputy Minister of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion, Hon. David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa, pledged his ministry’s commitment to increasing the budget allocation for health.
“We will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure the sector is properly funded,” he affirmed.
To address the pressing issues of efficiency and capacity within the health sector, Deputy Minister Mnangagwa announced the establishment of a joint committee co-chaired by the Deputy Ministers of Health and Finance.
“This committee will be crucial in ensuring that resources are used effectively, and we are actively exploring ways to strengthen domestic resource mobilization for health,” he concluded.