Health News
Zimbabwe 400-million-dollar health fund launched
Oct 31, 2011, 18:52 GMT
Marondera, Zimbabwe - A 400-million-dollar health fund was launched Monday in Zimbabwe to provide free health services for pregnant women and children under 5 years, with assistance from UNICEF, the European Union and other Western nations.
The head of UNICEF in Zimbabwe, Peter Salama, said hospital fees were one of the biggest barriers to access to critical health care for poor women and children.
The country's economic crisis has over the years severely weakened the health care system. According to the UN, 100 children under 5 years and eight women die everyday in Zimbabwe as they cannot afford to pay hospital fees.
Calling the fund a 'real revolution,' Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said: 'Zimbabwe is one of the three countries in sub-Saharan Africa that has gone back by 22 per cent in under-five mortality rates.'
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