Abstract
Zimbabwe like many other sub-Saharan African states has been struggling to provide a quality health service delivery system. Nations with rampant corruption and ineffective bureaucracy made worse, the response towards the fight against COVID-19, Coronavirus Disease 2019. Despite the Zimbabwean government setting out protocols with international agencies such as WHO, World Health Organization to mount an effective response against COVID-19, the health system has been overstretched with lack of personal protective equipment, shortage of drugs and essential equipment and wanton corruption practices coupled with shortage of staff. Timely delivery of orders is still a challenge due to strict bureaucratic measures when transporting goods and the existing competition between countries. Manufacturers and donors are shifting their focus to their countries leaving the Zimbabwean health service underfunded and under-resourced. However, among the challenges experienced the country has been given a chance to revisit its priorities and strategize how best the government and organizations can move essential medical goods, utilize current trade agreements such as ACFTA, African Continental Free Trade Area and local drug manufacturers to produce essential medicines. Launching an efficient mechanism to end corrupt practices in procurement and supply as well as improve interagency cooperation and communication may help improve efforts to end COVID-19 in Zimbabwe.
Author Contributions
Copyright© 2021
Munharo Steven, et al.
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Introduction
For ages many African countries have had challenges in improving the quality of health services. Recent epidemics have given Government a chance to evaluate their priorities and preparedness to control outbreaks of diseases. Efforts are being made to curb outbreaks of disease in Zimbabwe with a focus on improving and strengthening supply chains at province, district and health facility levels. According to a workshop held in 2019 aimed at strengthening coordination to prepare for a prompt and rapid response against disasters, it facilitated disaster emergency preparedness and supply chain policies alignment with supply chain emergency response preparedness plan The rising demand for COVID-19 equipment has been burdensome for African countries particularly those from LMICs, Lower-Middle Income Countries. WHO and other charitable organizations have intervened to identify and negotiate with suppliers to purchase essential products for LMICs. WHO has managed to procure 6.5 million PCR, Polymerase Chain Reaction test kits and 5.6 million collection kits for 134 countries The Zimbabwe blood Transfusion Services have also suffered with the lack of blood processing materials due to diminishing forex reserves and disruption of supply chains Recognizing the need to establish a protocol to curb the spread of infection, the Zimbabwean MOHCC, Ministry of Health and Child Care in collaboration with the United Nations migration agency set up a strategic preparedness and response plan Africa’s reliance over external supply of kits and reagents, limits its capacity to scale up COVID-19 testing to desirable levels Due to the global effects of COVID-19, pharmaceutical suppliers have reduced their for-export production levels and with the government-imposed lockdowns in their respective countries and the ban of transportation activities there are less exports. In countries like India and China there has been an increase in domestic demand for PPEs and respective governments have emphasised the need for cost minimisation COVID-19 has had an impact on Zimbabwe’s grassroot level activities such as movement obstruction of employees working in industrial units and health workers who commute to and from work, due to untimely cooperation between different transporters and couriers. All these factors cause delays and cripple the logistics and supply chain affecting transportation of vaccines, health workers, medical equipment and raw material. Some health workers reported that the shortage of public transport led them to waking up as early as 4am for them to get to work by 8am and has resulted in them reaching their respective work stations fatigued. These hustles coupled with the low remuneration which is continuously eroded by hyperinflation and lack of PPEs at the government hospitals has prevented health practitioners from reporting for work. This cascade of problems negatively impacts the quality of healthcare service delivery, overworking student health practitioners and delays in getting quality treatment for the community. This clearly shows that logistics supply chain means much more than the transportation of pharmaceuticals between countries, but also the movement of practitioners Recent data reveals preventable mortalities related indirectly to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly due to disruption of other health care services such as maternal and child care, immunization, blood supply services and chronic diseases. A rapid rise in unexpected pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases is anticipated due to reported shortages in contraceptives and condom supply in health facilities, which may lead to complications in unsafe abortions A second lockdown was instituted following a second wave of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe while air travel was still operational given travellers present COVID-19 test results