<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large"><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">From: <b class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Linda Shuro</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:linda@phmovement.org">linda@phmovement.org</a>></span><br></div><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">From: <b class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Peninah Khisa</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:peninahkhisa@gmail.com" target="_blank">peninahkhisa@gmail.com</a>></span><br></div><br><div dir="ltr"><span> </span>I would like to express
many thanks to all of you for your support, inputs and ideas concerning health
crisis on Doctors strike in Zimbabwe. As PHM East and Southern Africa we are
totally in support with the suggestions made by CWGH for the government to make
a swift response through the Minister of Health to end this <span>endemic
crisis</span>. PHM Global is in solidarity with PHM East and Southern statement
and they have signed the statement.<span></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Below, find attached PHM statement for East and Southern in
solidarity with people of Zimbabwe and we call the government to bring the health
crisis into normalcy so that the people of Zimbabwe can enjoy their right to
health which is a fundamental human right.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Regards,</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Peninah Khisa.<br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span></span><br></p><b><span lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></b>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">PHM Solidarity
Statement –Senior doctors strike in Zimbabwe <span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">The People’s Health Movement (PHM) supports the
Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) statement<a style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">[1]</span></span></span></span></a>
highlighting the need for an urgent political intervention to resolve the
crippled health situation in Zimbabwe, which has led to a strike by senior
doctors. <span> </span>Over the past few days, senior
doctors in Zimbabwe have downed tools protesting over the terrible situation at
the country’s major hospital (Parirenyatwa Hospital). The hospital has no
medicines, equipment and even sundries to assist patients and the situation is similar
in other hospitals, including Harare Central hospital. The hospital situation
should be treated as an emergency. There is no urgency and lack of prioritisation,
costing many lives (including babies)<a style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline" href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">[2]</span></span></span></span></a>.
Children in particular, who are the hope for the future, are becoming
unnecessarily disabled or dying at birth, all preventable situations with the
correct equipment, as explained by Dr Azza Mashumba in her desperate cry for
help. This ultimately puts great stress on the hospital staff, but also stress
and a financial burden not only on struggling families and communities, but on
the whole nation.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">Zimbabwe's public health services have since Independence
(1980) been a buffer between people and the impoverishing and fatal impacts of
ill health caused ultimately by poverty and deteriorating environmental and
social conditions.<span> </span>The massive decline
in the public health sector is thus a major crisis for poor people in the
country, and leaves people starkly exposed to severe risk.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">People with chronic diseases like diabetes are
struggling to meet costs of their treatment.<span>
</span>Such groups have difficulty taking medications when they do not have enough
food to eat. We are concerned that the same lack of information and silence
that concealed the cholera epidemic in its early stages is also leading to
inadequate action on other health problems.<span>
</span>This undermines an early response to preventing and managing these problems
in the community. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">While there is significant health infrastructure and
a highly literate population, these assets are inadequate in the context of
lack of medicine, equipment, services and staff, leaving public hospitals and
clinics non-functional with consequences in preventable loss of life. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">In all of this, CWGH urges the government of Zimbabwe
to bring people back into the centre of focus and to involve communities in
their plans on the way forward. Networks and community health workers have the
ability to organise and support primary health care, even under harsh
conditions.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">Only with public accountability and involvement in
the health system can the Zimbabwean people be assured that their health
financing actually pays for medicines, supplies and trained health workers to
treat current patients and to rebuild the national health system.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">PHM supports the suggestions made by CWGH for the
government to make a swift response through the Minister of Health to end this
“<i>endemic crisis by widening the
participation of stakeholders in the development and implementation of policies
for better health and developing innovative and new approaches in management
and delivery of services in ways which enhance access, community satisfaction
and local accountability</i>”<a style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline" href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">[3]</span></span></span></span></a>.
<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">PHM therefore calls on the government: <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Symbol" lang="EN-ZA"><span>·<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">To tackle
the inequitable distribution of resources and poor governance. It is
unacceptable that lives are lost and yet many ministers are receiving several cars
each <span> </span>in an economy suffering high levels
of unemployment, extreme fuel costs and very limited currency;<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Symbol" lang="EN-ZA"><span>·<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">To
ensure the correct and transparent use of existing health financing strategies
such as the Health Levy; <span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Symbol" lang="EN-ZA"><span>·<span style="font:7pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">To
honour its commitment to allocating 15% of the national budget to the health
sector;</span><span lang="EN-ZA"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">We express our solidarity with the senior doctors and
all health workers in Zimbabwe. We pledge our support to health workers who
work tirelessly in the interests of their patients’ health and well-being, as
part of their commitment to realising their patients’ human rights, including
the right to health. Health is a fundamental human right and everyone must
enjoy this right.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 12pt;text-align:justify;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">We demand urgent action by the Zimbabwean
government to make medicines, equipment and sundries immediately available in
all public health facilities to restore health and life. We also demand the
Zimbabwean government respect its constitution which is the supreme law of the country,
as well as regional instruments and international treaties which guarantees the
right to enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
At this time there is an urgent need for relief for those injured and displaced
by the effects of the cyclone which has hit Southern-Eastern Zimbabwe.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">PHM is a global network bringing together grassroots
health activists, policy maker’s civil society organizations, practitioners, and
academic institutions from around the world, particularly from low and middle
income countries (L&MIC) </span><span lang="EN-ZA"><a href="http://www.phmovement.org" style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline"><span style="font-family:Arial">www.phmovement.org</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"> . <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><b><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">On behalf of the People’s Health Movement East and
Southern Africa.<span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><b><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><b><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><b><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span><br></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><b><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><b><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">Signed by:<span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><b><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><b><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">PHM Global.<span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><b><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA"><span> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri"><b><span style="font-family:Arial" lang="EN-ZA">PHM East and Southern Africa Region.<span></span></span></b></p>
<div><br clear="all">
<hr width="33%" size="1" align="left">
<div id="gmail-ftn1">
<p class="gmail-MsoFootnoteText" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:10pt;font-family:Calibri"><a style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline" href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span lang="EN-ZA"><span><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Calibri" lang="EN-ZA">[1]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-ZA"> </span><span>CWGH Statement on
Senior Doctors’ strike 13 March 2019<span></span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="gmail-ftn2">
<p class="gmail-MsoFootnoteText" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:10pt;font-family:Calibri"><a style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline" href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span lang="EN-ZA"><span><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Calibri" lang="EN-ZA">[2]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-ZA"> <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2019/03/horror-tales-of-rot-in-public-hospitals/" style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline"><span lang="EN-US">https://www.newsday.co.zw/2019/03/horror-tales-of-rot-in-public-hospitals/</span></a></span><span> <span></span></span></p>
</div>
<div id="gmail-ftn3">
<p class="gmail-MsoFootnoteText" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:10pt;font-family:Calibri"><a style="color:rgb(5,99,193);text-decoration:underline" href="#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span lang="EN-ZA"><span><span class="gmail-MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align:super"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Calibri" lang="EN-ZA">[3]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span> CWGH Statement on Senior Doctors’ strike 13
March 2019<span></span></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div></div>