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VIEWS & REVIEWS: Kate Adams Zimbabwe: an eyewitness account BMJ 2008; 336: 98 [Full text]

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Healthcare in Crisis

Karim M Mahawish   (17 January 2008)

Healthcare in Crisis 17 January 2008
Karim M Mahawish, SpR Geriatrics Arrowe Park Hospital, Upton, Wirral. CH49 5PE Send response to journal: Re: Healthcare in Crisis	All credit to Dr Adams for highlighting the plight of the citizens of Zimbabwe. The financial impact of health care is considerable; the daily cost of inpatient treatment several times the average monthly salary, in a country with an official 80% unemployment rate. A further barrier is accessibility. The population is sparse and the numbers of hospitals relatively few. Indeed it is no surprise that health staff are leaving the country in droves. Doctors are generally highly skilled, on-call duties involving single-handed running of district hospitals and performing a range of medical, surgical and obstetric procedures to a high standard. Whilst substantial efforts by the international community continue to improve health care and access to treatment, it is the devotion of these doctors and nurses which deserves much recognition. kmahawish@doctors.org.uk Competing interests: None declared