LOCAL health lobby group Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) has urged government to involve communities when crafting the National Budget and when making key decisions such as freezing nursing posts and increasing health workers’ remuneration.
VENERANDA LANGA,SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER
In its latest position paper submitted to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the advocacy group said government should allocate 15% of its total budget to the health sector as per the 2001 Abuja Declaration on Health.
CWGH executive director Itai Rusike also said it was imperative for government to finance the fight against other disease besides malaria, tuberculosis and HIV and Aids. He said a survey had shown that previous budgetallocations towards the health sector had fallen from 39% in 2001 to 18% in 2010.
“More financing should be channelled towards the public health system, specifically at the district and community levels where there are large numbers of people accessing health services so that it addresses the issue of referrals and alleviates the numbers that are now seeking care at the central hospitals,” said Rusike.
“While maternal mortality has increased to 960 deaths per100 000, there is a greater need to mobilise more resources to address the underlying causes, identify the areas where most deaths are happening so that they may be resourced adequately and focus resource targeting at lower community levels to stem the rise in maternal mortality,” he said.
Rusike said health figures showed an increase in home deliveries with 34% of live births occurring at home, compared to 31% in 2005 and 23% in 1999, and of those 41,6% of rural mothers delivered at home compared to 14,2% in urban areas.
He said there was a worrying trend in that evidence on the ground showed the country was not screening every pregnant mother for HIV and Aids.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“Evidence on the ground shows that the country is not screening every mother and for those who are tested and test positive, not everyone is receiving Anti-Retroviral drugs.”
Rusike said his organisation had observed that areas like Mashonaland East and Central were allocated more drugs than their requirements, while others who needed them, especially Bulawayo and Matabeleland North received paltry supplies.
“Continued focus on malaria, tuberculosis and HIV and Aids at the expense of other disease areas will not produce positive benefit in the future against the background of other emerging diseases. It is unfortunate that resources have tended to follow these three disease areas,” he said.
