Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. HEALTH and Child Care minister Douglas Mombeshora has called for more collaboration between the government and private players to save the ailing public health sector.
Mombeshora said the government was committed to dialogue and partnership with all concerned players in the sector to ensure Zimbabweans received quality healthcare services.
“Collaboration is the bedrock upon which a strong and responsive healthcare system is built,” Mombeshora said in his address during the official opening of the Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe annual stakeholders conference in Victoria Falls yesterday,
“The Ministry of Health and Child Care is committed to fostering an environment of open dialogue and partnership with all stakeholders.
“This includes, but is not limited to, healthcare funders, private healthcare providers, civil society organisations, academic institutions and international partners.”
He said the government recognised that healthcare funders, through their extensive networks and data insights, possessed invaluable information regarding disease patterns, service utilisation and cost drivers.
“Sharing this data, while respecting patient confidentiality, can significantly enhance our national health planning and resource allocation,” he said.
“As a government, we wish to see truly symbiotic partnerships where information flows freely, and strategies are co-created by both the public and private sectors.”
Zimbabwe’s health sector faces years of underfunding and neglect as seen in public hospitals lacking basic medicines and drugs.
This has seen public hospitals also facing infrastructure decay.
Mombeshora said the government acknowledged the potential for public-private partnerships in healthcare infrastructural development.
“We look forward to private sector support in that regard,” he said, adding that innovation is the engine of progress in healthcare.
“The Ministry of Health and Child Care is exploring sustainable and equitable financing mechanisms that reduce the out-of-pocket burden on our citizens,” the Health minister said.
“This includes exploring innovative risk-pooling mechanisms.”
The health sector, particularly medical aid service providers, has been under public scrutiny with users complaining of substandard service compared to their financial input.
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