Auditor-general (AG) Mildred Chiri has exposed the rot in the country’s health sector noting issues such as a shortage of personnel and ambulances as well as unauthorised expenditures.
The audit report on the appropriation accounts, finance and revenue statements and funds accounts for 2021 comes at a time when South Africa is accusing Zimbabweans of straining the neighbouring country’s healthcare facilities.
In her report, Chiri said:
i). the Harare Government Dental Centre, which is the country’s largest referral centre, is operating below capacity with insufficient human resources and equipment.
ii). the facility offers oral health services to patients and provides training and internship to dental technicians, therapists and assistants.
iii). it requires 8 dental chairs and 8 dental mobile carts, but it only has 1 of each.
iv). it also requires 4 autoclaves (sterilising equipment), 4 air compressors for dental procedures and 2 dental X-Rays, but it had none. The dental centre also has no water and power backup.
v). the number of dental therapists and assistants had significantly declined, a situation that may see the country having no therapists. 30 therapists should be trained each year, yet in 2019, 15 therapists were trained and in 2020, 10 therapists were trained.
Chiri also said she had reported in 2018, that Masvingo and Gweru provincial hospitals failed to support creditors’ balances as they did not maintain creditors’ records. The situation is still the same.
Unsupported expenditure:
Chiri also exposed unsupported expenditure at 11 health institutions visited in 2018 which incurred expenditure amounting to $160 295 that was not fully supported by source documents such as requisitions, invoices or receipts as well as goods received notes.
Nine health institutions visited in 2018 incurred expenditures amounting to $143 154 without seeking competitive quotations and subsequently compiling comparative schedules.
Also, the health institutions had no service level agreements in cases where the acquisition of goods and services was from a sole supplier.
Analysts fear that the crisis might worsen if the government goes on with the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs) Amendment Bill which will likely chase away donor funding from the sector.