Hopewell Chin’ono, an award-winning journalist, has once again raised concerns about the dire state of maternity care in Zimbabwe. The country’s largest hospital, Parirenyatwa, reportedly has only one functioning maternity theatre, which was built in 1977 during the colonial era. Chin’ono has been vocal for the past five years about the high maternal mortality rate in Zimbabwe, with approximately 2,500 pregnant women dying each year during childbirth, but little action has been taken to address the issue. He said:
Zimbabwe’s biggest hospital has only ONE maternity theatre which was built in 1977 by the Ian Smith colonial government. The colonial government built two maternity theater, but only one is working. At one point there was no longer anything working until @StanbicBankZW intervened and refurbished the one that is now working. It costs only US$37,000 to build a functional maternity theatre in Zimbabwe, put differently, one Landcruiser will build 10 maternity theatres. The Zimbabwean government has thousands of these cars, but no maternity theatres for giving birth to kids. Many times both mother and child die. Giving birth in Zimbabwe for ordinary citizens is now so dangerous such that 75% of women who give birth at South Africa’s Musina Hospital are Zimbabwean according to the South African Government.
Last year, an incident at Bela Bela Hospital in South Africa highlighted the tension surrounding healthcare for foreign nationals. The Limpopo Health MEC confronted a Zimbabwean patient, stating that South Africa lacked the budget to accommodate foreigners and suggesting she seek treatment in Zimbabwe instead. She said in a video circulating on social media:
How do you find yourself in Bela-Bela when you are supposed to be with Mnangagwa (Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa) there? You know he doesn’t give me money to operate you guys and I’m operating you with my limited budget.
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The implications of inadequate maternity care extend beyond individual women and affect the entire community. Chin’ono said investing in maternal healthcare would result in healthier mothers and babies, alleviate the strain on foreign healthcare systems, and improve the overall well-being of the nation. He said the scarcity of functioning maternity theatres and the high maternal mortality rates expose the government’s failure to prioritise the well-being of its citizens.
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