Healing or hustle? Smuggled meds are big draw in Zimbabwe’s hidden markets

HARARE, ZIMBABWE — It’s possible to buy pretty much anything at the market in Hopley, an informal settlement south of this capital city: rat poison, mops — even medicine.

That medicine is sold without prescriptions, to buyers who don’t have a diagnosis from a doctor in hand. Some vendors even offer diagnoses to their customers, even though they don’t have any medical training.

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