Zimbabwe’s New Mothers Face Extortion for ‘Free’ Child Health Cards
New mothers in Harare, Zimbabwe, are facing significant challenges in obtaining Child Health Cards, which are supposed to be free. Instead, a hidden market has emerged where these essential documents are sold illegally by clinic staff, indicating deep corruption within the healthcare system. This situation exacerbates the hardships faced by women, especially amid the return of unpaid maternity fees and ongoing economic pressures.
In Harare, Zimbabwe, new mothers like Connie Jowa are facing a dire situation as they seek Child Health Cards for their infants. These essential cards, which are meant to be free, are mysteriously unavailable at public hospitals and local clinics, compelling mothers to purchase them through an underground market if they can find someone willing to sell.
The Child Health Card is vital for tracking a child’s growth, vaccinations, and medical history. New mothers are left without adequate records, leading to challenges during clinic visits as they must repeatedly provide their child’s medical history from scratch. An artificial shortage of these cards has sparked a shadow market where clinic staff sell the cards, with reports of individuals profiting significantly from this illicit practice.
Simbarashe James Tafirenyika, a leader in the Nurses and Allied Workers Union, reveals that clinic staff embroil themselves in this unethical practice, pocketing substantial sums of money while evading government oversight. The illegal sale of the cards exemplifies systemic corruption in a healthcare system that continues to crumble, largely affecting the most vulnerable in society.
While mothers are supposed to receive their Child Health Card upon giving birth, many are left with no documentation of their infants’ health. This issue is acute in Harare, where over 3,000 babies are delivered in council clinics each month. Prosper Chonzi, director of health for the City of Harare, acknowledges the irregular supply of cards and admits that some clinic employees may be misusing the shortage to sell cards unlawfully.
Chonzi’s concerns are exacerbated by the quiet reintroduction of maternity fees in public hospitals, which unwillingly burdens mothers at a time when they are already financially strained. Although a program known as results-based financing once enabled over one million women to deliver free of charge from 2011 to 2024, economic challenges have now led to a resurgence in corruption linked to healthcare access.
Transparency International Zimbabwe conducted a survey revealing that a significant majority of respondents reported bribery experiences while trying to access health services. High inflation and economic pressures have driven health workers to solicit bribes, demonstrating a detrimental trend within Zimbabwe’s healthcare landscape.
An activist, Prudence Hanyani, emphasizes that the increasing financial burden on women is unjust. Maternal health services should be free, as childbirth serves the nation’s needs. Other mothers, like Valerie Shangwa, recount their continuous struggles to maintain accurate medical records for their children without the requisite cards, leading them to guess important health metrics.
Donald Mujiri from the Ministry of Health attributes the card shortages to supply chain inefficiencies and inadequate donor funding. He indicated that it is essential to bolster the supply chain management system for better procurement practices. As mothers in Harare continue to endure the adverse effects of this crisis, some face the difficult choice of paying for services that should be freely provided.
The plight of new mothers in Zimbabwe highlights a critical failure in the healthcare system, where the essential Child Health Card has become inaccessible and is now subject to extortion. The rise of bribery reflects broader issues of corruption and economic hardship, severely impacting maternal health services. It is imperative for the government to address these supply chain deficiencies and restore integrity to healthcare access, ensuring that maternal health services remain free and equitable for all women in Zimbabwe.
Original Source: www.thezimbabwean.co
