Africa News Summary : News Headlines : Discussion Forums

Tuesday, June 25, 2002 - Web posted at 11:10:57 am GMT

HARARE - Clinics in Zimbabwe's capital are running out of essential pharmaceutical drugs and are being forced to operate with only a fraction of required medicines, a city health official has said.

"We only received 16 per cent of the drugs as of last month," Lovemore Mbengeranwa, Harare city health services director was quoted by the state-run Herald as saying.

Health service centres in Zimbabwe have in recent years faced acute shortages of essential drugs due to lack of foreign exchange to import the pharmaceuticals.

The lack of adequate foreign currency and the resulting shortage of medicine have pushed the price of essential drugs beyond the means of most patients, who are having to put up with ever-rising costs of other basic commodities.

Last week, the Herald reported that the price of lifesaving drugs had gone up by more than 200 per cent in recent months as inflation in the southern African country has hit 122 per cent. - Nampa-AFP

Despite promises to redistribute confiscated land to poor blacks, many of the farms have been given to loyal lawmakers and confidantes of President Mugabe and ruling party leaders.

•  Big Brother Africa 3: Morris does a Lazarus! He's alive, he is too!!
•  Morris does a Lazarus! He's alive, he is too!!