The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) a human rights watchdog says the country is in a state of neglect owing to human rights violations in the midst of the Covid-19 global pandemic.

According to the ZPP March 2020 monthly report for March 2020 the health sector is in shambles because government has not invested much in health delivery system.

“The unpreparedness of the Government to deal with COVID-19 is an indication of a state that has not invested enough in improving the country’s health delivery system. The health sector has for long been in shambles as doctors frequently go on strike for long periods citing incapacitation and a shortage of drugs and equipment for use in public hospitals,” said ZPP

The watchdog says the announcement by health personnel on 25 March that they were downing tools again reflects a government that does not take seriously the welfare of its workers and of the citizens who are supposed to be taken care of by those professionals.

The report says the lack of basic equipment at Wilkins Hospital was unfortunate and is a reflection of neglect of public health institutions.

“Failure by Wilkins Hospital to have basic equipment and tools such as an electrical adapter and oxygen ventilators is regrettable and is a grim reflection of how public health institutions have been neglected for long. This is evidenced by the fact that it has become a norm for government officials and their families to go abroad to seek medical attention.

“The refurbishment of two private hospitals in Mt Pleasant and Avondale (Both in Harare) is an insult to the majority of Zimbabweans who rely on public institutions for medical attention. This move to refurbish the two institutions is an indication of a society that cares more for the welfare of the elite at the expense of the majority,” read the report