By Health Reporter- A distressing image circulated on social media this Sunday, revealing cholera patients in Chiredzi receiving treatment under trees, with intravenous (IV) infusion dispensers hanging from branches.

The makeshift “open field hospital” located at Mapanza, near Mukwasine Estates, highlights the dire state of healthcare in one of Zimbabwe’s most underdeveloped districts.

Commentators expressed dismay at the lack of dignity afforded to patients, questioning why a resource-rich country like Zimbabwe resorts to such conditions.

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba, responding on his social media account, seemed to dismiss critics, emphasising that the government provided medicines and covers health workers’ salaries. Charamba’s post read:
“By the way, who bought the life-saving saline fluid? Who employed and meets the salaries of the hard-working staff? The vehicle which ferried them to the affected areas? Kumeso kwenyu mese!”

In another post, Charamba targeted the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), which dominates urban councils, accusing them of taking money from residents without providing basic services like garbage collection.

He attributed Chiredzi’s underdevelopment to the colonial government, replaced 44 years ago by the ZANU PF government.

Charamba’s words sparked controversy, drawing attention to the government’s role in addressing the healthcare crisis.

The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society later stepped in, providing a tent for health personnel treating cholera patients.

Zimbabwe’s public health service, plagued by years of underfunding, is in disarray.

Hospitals lack essential medicines, including basics like liquid paracetamol, while doctors and nurses endure poor salaries.

The image of cholera patients under trees underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in the healthcare system.