(Last Updated on November 2, 2020 by Editor)
HARARE – The Combined Harare Residents Association and Women Coalition of Zimbabwe on Friday made a joint press statement urging the Harare City Council to immediately act on the ongoing health crisis within the city which has been worsened by the closure of council’s clinic.
This follows the decision made by the Harare Council to challenge a High Court order compelling them to reopen all the Council clinics.
“The Combined Harare Residents Association is shocked by City of Harare’s challenge of the High Court order, which was meant to compel the local authority to reopen council clinics and honour its constitutional mandate to provide health services to residents,” read part of the statement issued by CHRA.
Both organisations stressed that the right to Health was a very important right which when neglected tends to affect women and girls the most.
“We continue to mourn our fallen she-roes and future leaders who died in the hands of this health care system due to neglect, the ongoing industrial action by nurses and doctors and inadequate medical resources to sustain operations,” said WCoZ in their statement.
Section 76(3) is very clear” No person may be refused emergency medical treatment in any health care institution,’ yet yesterday a pregnant woman had a miscarriage at Highfields Poly Clinic after being turned away by one of the nurses who is alleged to have said that her salary was not sufficient to attend to the woman,” added CHRA.
The two organisations also urged the central government to intervene to improve the health care system.
WCoZ urged the government to allocate atleast 15% of the national budget towards the health sector.