Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora has said Zimbabwe’s health sector is severely underfunded and has failed to meet the 15% Abuja target.
In April 2001, African Union countries gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, where they committed to allocating at least 15% of their annual budgets to the health sector.
Speaking at a High-Level National Health Financing Dialogue in Harare on Thursday, Mombeshora said that the underfunding of the health sector has crippled essential health services in the country. He said (via NewsDay):
Government allocations towards health have persistently been below the 15% Abuja target. In 2024, only 9,8% of the total budget was allocated to health.
Resource mapping conducted by my ministry shows a consistent funding gap, especially in the primary health care scenario.
Mombeshora, however, said government had managed to reduce malaria cases by 76% and made progress towards attaining the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets despite the funding challenges. He said:
Efficiency in health spending cannot be overemphasised. Every dollar spent on health must yield the maximum possible benefit…
Public resources alone cannot meet the growing demands for quality healthcare. We need strategic investments from the private sector, international partners and civil society.
Investing in health is not just about outcomes, it is an economic imperative. A dollar spent on health yields a tenfold return.
Zimbabwe’s health sector faces a myriad of challenges which include a shortage of skilled professionals, a shortage of essential medical supplies and brain drain.
More: Pindula News