Make Healthcare Free: Govt Petitioned as Crisis Deepens in Zim’s Ailing Hospitals

The government is under fire over the deteriorating state of Zimbabwe’s public health sector, with a fresh petition piling pressure on authorities to urgently upgrade crumbling hospitals and make healthcare free for all.

This comes as Zimbabwe’s health sector reels from years of underfunding, a brain drain of skilled professionals, chronic shortages of medication, and crumbling infrastructure.

As a result, the situation has left the majority of citizens unable to afford even the most basic medical attention.

Leading the charge, Opposition politician Linda Tsungirirai Masarira has called for urgent reforms to ensure healthcare becomes free, accessible, and inclusive for the poor, chronically ill, accident victims, and survivors of gender-based violence.

“The motivation behind this petition stems from the painful reality that more than 60% of Zimbabweans are dying prematurely due to lack of access to basic healthcare,” said Masarira in a statement.

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“Our current system (health sector) is unaffordable, understaffed, and under-resourced, pushing millions especially the elderly, people with chronic illnesses, women, children, and persons with disabilities to suffer in silence or turn to unsafe alternatives.”

The petition demands that government urgently roll out universal healthcare coverage, with free treatment for cancer and chronic illnesses, as well as emergency care services.

“We believe that access to healthcare is a human right, not a privilege reserved for the wealthy or connected,” Masarira added, urging citizens to sign the petition and amplify the voices of the country’s most vulnerable.

“It’s a collective push for a dignified, humane, and inclusive healthcare system that truly serves the people. If we don’t speak up now, we risk losing more lives to preventable causes.”