On World AIDS Day, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition implores the government of Zimbabwe to restore the social contract and put in place measures aimed at reducing the inequality gap in the country,
This year’s World AIDS Day is being commemorated under the theme “End Inequalities, End AIDS, End Pandemics”.
The day comes at a time when the country is ceased with the fight against the Covid19 pandemic which has further strained our already weakened health infrastructure.
The Covid19 pandemic has widened the inequality gap in Zimbabwe and has exposed lack of investment in health infrastructure in Zimbabwe.
It is unfortunate that due to the huge inequality gap, the majority of Zimbabweans have been forced to resort to public health institutions which are under-resourced and underfunded, a factor that works against efforts to combat pandemics.
Corruption has also been one of the factors that have largely widened the inequality gap in Zimbabwe while contributing significantly to the rot at public health institutions.
Zimbabwe has reported a number of cases of public officials being arrested for abusing Covid 19 funds and this trend cuts across the health sector.
Addressing inequality and ensuring transparency and accountability should be at the core of efforts to fight AIDS and other pandemics in Zimbabwe.
On World AIDS, the Coalition also implores the government to prioritize the welfare of health care workers.
We urge Zimbabweans to ensure that the fight against AIDS should start at an individual and cascade to the national level.
Source: Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
