Drug supplies at Zimbabwe’s public hospitals have increased by 70 percent in the past few months, Health Minister David Parirenyatwa has announced here.

Parirenyatwa on Tuesday said that the increased drug availability would ease the plight of patients requiring ant-retroviral drugs and treatments for other diseases such as kidney ailments who have faced shortages of life-saving medicines.

The drugs were imported through funding from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which responded to a plea by the cash-strapped public hospitals.

Until the arrival of the new drugs, some public hospitals were only admitting critically ill patients while sending others to private doctors.

Government critics blame the poor service delivery at public health institutions on perennial under-funding of the sector and an exodus of skilled personnel in search of greener pastures in neighbouring countries.

Drug supplies at Zimbabwe’s public hospitals have increased by 70 percent in the past few months, Health Minister David Parirenyatwa has announced here.

Parirenyatwa on Tuesday said that the increased drug availability would ease the plight of patients requiring ant-retroviral drugs and treatments for other diseases such as kidney ailments who have faced shortages of life-saving medicines.

The drugs were imported through funding from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which responded to a plea by the cash-strapped public hospitals.

Until the arrival of the new drugs, some public hospitals were only admitting critically ill patients while sending others to private doctors.

Government critics blame the poor service delivery at public health institutions on perennial under-funding of the sector and an exodus of skilled personnel in search of greener pastures in neighbouring countries.

(Source)