HARARE – Zimbabwe’s unity government should prioritise health and education sectors that had collapsed after years of neglect and under-funding, Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai said on Monday.

Tsvangirai, who formed a power-sharing government with President Robert Mugabe last February to try to reverse Zimbabwe’s decade-long economic decline, spoke during a tour of Harare Central hospital, one of the two biggest referral centres in the country.

The Premier praised efforts to restore services at the hospital and praised staff for dedication to duty even in the face of hardships caused by the government’s inability to reward them adequately due to a lack of funds.

“When I visited last march, it was like a ghost hospital. It goes to demonstrate that its not just a question of money but also of commitment and a little resources will go a long way in achieving functionality,” said Tsvangirai.

Hospital chief executive officer Jealous Nderere narrated to Tsvangirai a plethora of problems experienced by the institution ranging from staff and drugs shortages to broken water systems.

“The hospital still has no hot water supply . . . the air conditioning system in the theatres in the main hospital and maternity needs to be replaced as it is now dysfunctional,” Nderere said.

A report produced by Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe last month showed that Zimbabwe’s health and education sectors were still in dire straits requiring urgent attention.

Zimbabwe’s unity government has promised to revive the economy and restore basic services but failure by Harare – which says it requires a total US$10 billion to get Zimbabwe on its feet again – to convince rich Western nations to release grants and soft loans has hampered its ability to drive the recovery effort.

Western governments insist they will not provide support until they see evidence Mugabe.

By Zimonline