The
opinion
leaders
caution
that
the
growing
burden
on
household
incomes
and
essential
services
risks
deepening
systemic
weaknesses,
widening
inequality
in
access
to
healthcare
and
reversing
fragile
public
health
gains.
Growing
concern
suggests
the
latest
increases
are
more
than
just
an
economic
challenge
but
have
represented “far
reaching
shocks” placing
further
strain
on
the
country’s
already
overburdened
health
sector
and
broader
social
fabric,
particularly
for
low-income
households.
The
Community
Working
Group
on
Health
(CWGH),
a
network
of
national
membership
based
civil
society
and
community-based
organisations
that
collectively
enhance
community
participation
in
health
in
Zimbabwe,
said
the
health
sector
is
particularly
vulnerable
to
rising
operational
costs
driven
by
fuel
price
hikes.
CWGH
Executive
Director,
Itai
Rusike,
said
Zimbabwe’s
already
fragile
public
health
system
is
facing
a
new
and
immediate
threat.
“The
public
health
sector
is
already
struggling
with
a
plethora
of
issues,
not
least
among
them
inadequate
funding,
challenges
in
accessing
allocated
budgets,
and
the
generally
high
cost
of
care.
Increased
fuel
costs
will
obviously
exacerbate
these
challenges,”
Rusike
said.
Zimbabwe
imports
nearly
all
of
its
fuel,
a
factor
that
exposes
it
to
global
price
fluctuations
and
logistical
costs.
Since
fuel
is
sourced
from
distant
markets
such
as
the
Middle
East,
passing
through
multiple
countries
before
reaching
Zimbabwe,
Rusike
noted
that
would
further
inflate
prices.
He
warned
the
effects
of
rising
fuel
costs
would
be
felt
across
every
layer
of
the
health
delivery
system,
from
national
budgets
to
the
individual
patient.
“These
additional
costs
will
have
an
almost
immediate
impact
on
hospital
and
clinic
budgets.
Facilities
will
have
to
reconfigure
their
budgets,
allocating
more
towards
transport
and
other
fuel-dependent
operations
such
as
referrals,
running
generators,
logistics
and
outreach
programmes.
This
inevitably
means
reduced
activities
or
the
sacrifice
of
other
critical
services,”
he
said.
Zimbabwe’s
health
institutions
already
rely
heavily
on
fuel-powered
generators
due
to
persistent
electricity
outages,
making
them
particularly
sensitive
to
fuel
price
fluctuations.
As
operational
costs
rise,
health
facilities
may
be
forced
to
scale
back
essential
services.
Beyond
health
facilities,
Rusike
said
supply
chains
are
also
at
risk
of
disruption.
“For
the
broader
health
sector,
supply
chains
will
be
affected,
leading
to
shortages
of
essential
commodities
and
subsequent
cost
escalation.
The
transportation
of
medicines,
vaccines,
and
equipment
to
hospitals
and
clinics,
particularly
in
rural
areas,
will
become
more
expensive,
which
could
compromise
outreach
services
such
as
immunisation
campaigns,
maternal
health
visits,
and
disease
surveillance,”
he
explained.
Health
workers
themselves
are
not
spared
as
rising
transport
costs
are
eating
into
already
constrained
incomes,
further
demoralising
staff
in
a
sector
grappling
with
retention
challenges.
“For
health
workers,
transport
costs
will
reduce
their
disposable
income,
while
for
patients,
increased
transport
and
food
costs,
as
well
as
the
cost
of
care,
will
increase
out-of-pocket
expenditure,
which
is
already
high
by
World
Health
Organisation
standards,”
Rusike
said.
He
warned
these
pressures
could
alter
health-seeking
behaviour,
with
patients
delaying
or
defaulting
on
treatment,
potentially
leading
to
adverse
health
outcomes.
At
a
macro
level,
the
government
is
also
likely
to
face
increased
fiscal
pressure.
“The
government
will
need
to
allocate
more
resources
to
cover
operational
and
running
costs
in
the
health
sector.
At
the
same
time,
broader
inflationary
pressures
will
affect
the
social
determinants
of
health,
further
increasing
the
overall
burden
on
the
healthcare
system,”
Rusike
added.
While
Rusike
noted
that
it
is
“not
all
doom
and
gloom,”
he
cautioned
that
price
instability
and
uncertainty
in
global
oil
markets
mean
any
relief
is
unlikely
in
the
short
term.
“Prices
are
generally
sticky
downwards,
so
even
if
supply
stabilises,
the
disruption
has
already
created
uncertainty.
Contracts
are
being
reassessed,
infrastructure
is
affected,
and
people
are
unlikely
to
see
immediate
benefits,”
he
said.
The
impact
of
rising
fuel
prices
is
also
being
felt
sharply
at
household
level,
where
families
are
struggling
to
cope
with
escalating
costs
of
living.
Bulawayo-based
commentator,
Jacqueline
Ndlovu,
said
the
increases
are
placing
a
disproportionate
burden
on
women
and
low-income
families.
“The
recent
fuel
increases
have
brought
many
challenges
within
communities.
Fuel
prices
have
gone
up
twice
within
a
fortnight,
triggering
increases
in
basic
services,
including
transport,”
she
said.
“For
a
working
parent,
especially
a
mother,
transport
costs
alone
are
becoming
unaffordable.
I
board
twice
a
day
and
so
do
my
children.
That
quickly
pushes
costs
beyond
reach.”
Ndlovu
said
the
price
hikes
are
cascading
across
essential
goods,
further
straining
household
budgets.
“Bread
is
now
going
for
between
US$1.10
and
US$1.30,
and
even
basic
commodities
like
potatoes
have
increased
significantly.
What
used
to
cost
a
dollar
is
now
US$1.50.
For
many
families,
these
are
no
longer
affordable,”
she
said.
She
added
many
working-class
women
are
now
walking
long
distances
to
work
to
cut
transport
costs,
only
to
return
home
to
unpaid
care
responsibilities.
“This
is
not
just
about
adjusting
budgets.
It
is
a
systemic
shock
that
is
affecting
how
people
live,
work
and
survive.
Women,
in
particular,
are
bearing
the
brunt,”
Ndlovu
said.
The
rising
costs
are
also
exposing
deeper
vulnerabilities
within
the
labour
market.
“Right
now
we
are
hearing
about
the
nurses’
strike.
If
you
are
earning
around
US$300
and
your
daily
transport
costs
are
US$4,
it
becomes
unsustainable.
Even
sending
a
child
to
school,
which
used
to
cost
a
dollar
a
day,
is
now
double
that,”
Ndlovu
she
said.