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US Withdrawal of Aid Threatens Zimbabwe's Health System
Developing
In Short: The Ministry acknowledged receipt of concerns raised by nurses' representatives through the Zimbabwe Nurses Association following reports of withdrawal of services at some health institutions.
Zimbabwe's health budget is facing significant challenges after the United States announced it would end all bilateral health funding to the country by the end of September, just before the start of the malaria season.
According to Health Policy Watch, this funding cut will affect essential drugs, commodities, and laboratory systems, putting approximately 8,300 health workers' jobs at risk.
Health GAP, the global access project, noted that US government contributions make up 54% of national healthcare spending, supporting a range of clinical care, laboratory systems, health workforce, commodities, and community-based programs.
The mother of a malaria victim told Health Policy Watch, “Nurses claimed that there were so many malaria patients who wanted the treatment drugs, which were said to be in short supply. We couldn’t do anything to save my husband’s life and we lost him.”
Save the Children warned that the US aid cuts have led to the premature ending of the second phase of the country’s largest malaria program, which had been on track towards eliminating the disease.
Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora urged striking nurses to return to work to allow for constructive dialogue between the parties.
Health Minister Mombeshora appealed to health workers to suspend industrial action and allow space for orderly engagement in the best interests of patients and the nation.
Zimbabwe had achieved some of the largest declines in malaria incidence and mortality in the world, reducing cases by 76.6% from 2023 to 2024.
However, the resurgence of malaria in Zimbabwe also threatens its neighbors, including Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia.
Health GAP’s Asia Russell noted that civil society had advocated behind the scenes to try to restart MOU talks on terms fair for Zimbabweans.
Ambassador Tremont insisted talks would only restart if Zimbabwe’s government reached out to them, making compromise unrealistic given President Mnangagwa's formal communique severing talks.
What this adds
The aid cuts are expected to exacerbate existing health crises and undermine recent progress in disease control.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care is actively seeking dialogue with striking nurses to address their concerns and ensure patient care.
What's still developing
- “Of the 1.3 million Zimbabweans living with HIV, more than 1.2 million are now on life-saving HIV treatment thanks to PEPFAR and support from other donors,” according to a 2023 statement by PEPFAR, which has been substantially reduced since Trump assumed office and is being replaced by the bilateral MOUs.
- HARARE – In March, 27-year-old Jemitius Gangata succumbed to malaria in Mahombokombe village in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland West Province, becoming part of the country’s growing malaria statistics.
- Save the Children, one of the four partners implementing the malaria programme, said the closure of the programme has led to “shortages of insecticide‑treated mosquito nets, delays in vector control operations, and weakened disease surveillance, with heavy rainfall and fluctuating weather patterns further promoting the spread of the disease”.
- “The Ministry of Health and Child Care acknowledges receipt of the concerns raised by nurses’ representatives through the Zimbabwe Nurses Association following reports of withdrawal of services at some isolated health institutions,” said Mombeshora.
- Reports from the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) confirmed wider participation.
Sources
- iHarare Newslink