Mpilo Central Hospital, one of Zimbabweโs largest referral hospitals in Bulawayo, is facing a dire resource crisis, with severe shortages of medical equipment, drugs and essential supplies crippling its operations.
As the situation at Mpilo continues to deteriorate, the human cost of the crisis is becoming increasingly apparent, as patients are suffering while healthcare workers are overwhelmed.
The situation, which has gone viral on social media, has drawn sharp criticism from healthcare professionals, who say the shortages are compromising patient care and putting lives at risk.
Observers attribute the crisis to chronic underfunding, inefficiencies and Zimbabweโs heavy reliance on imported medical supplies, which are often delayed or unaffordable.
The hospitalโs challenges were highlighted in messages allegedly written by doctors, which have since circulated widely on social media.
One message read: โThere is a big problem at Mpilo Hospital. Literally everything is in short supplyโฆ This is from drugs, lifts breaking down, and patients failing to be moved to theatres. The surprising thing is that UBH (United Bulawayo Hospitals) seems to be doing better than Mpilo, yet they are both government-funded.โ
โI donโt know where the problem really lies, what makes it very significant is that Mpilo carries a bigger patient population burden in this region and as such many people suffer. Previously we used to experience shortages, yes but not to this extent.โ
Another doctor lamented the lack of basic supplies, stating, โI am in casualty right now. Our situation is too bad. There are no cannulas, no fluid-giving sets. One patient was in status epilepticus. The doctors were just looking worried. One of my patients is in septic shock. There is only ceftriaxone. The JRMOs (Junior Resident Medical Officers) complete a half marathon looking for things to save patients by the time they finish their call.โ
Health officials said shortages at Mpilo are symptomatic of a broader crisis in Zimbabweโs public healthcare system, which has been plagued by chronic underfunding and inefficiencies.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, some health officials revealed that some of the hospitalโs equipment, such as its CT scan machine and mammogram, is functional but unusable due to exorbitant software licensing fees charged by foreign suppliers.
โThe manufacturers of the CT scan and the mammogram at Mpilo are sabotaging us by charging exorbitant fees for the software needed to operate these pieces of equipment,โ one official said.
โAs a result, we are unable to use the equipment we bought, even though it is in good working condition.โ
The reliance on imported medical supplies further exacerbates the problem.
โIf we need medicines at UBH today, we need to buy these medicines from India. It is going to take at least three months to ship the medicines, and by the time they arrive, they are at least three months towards expiry,โ the official added.
The crisis at Mpilo underscores the severe underfunding of Zimbabweโs healthcare sector with Member of Parliament for Emakhandeni-Luveve and a member of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care, Discent Bajila, revealing that the National Pharmaceuticals (NATPHARM) requires a minimum of US$2.5 million every month to provide an adequate supply of medicines.
โAs the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care, we are aware of the situation around the shortage of medicines and drugs at public hospitals. During the 2025 national budget consultations, we interacted with the ministry and learned that NATPHARM needs a minimum of US$2.5 million every month to make sure we have enough supply of medicines in the country,โ Bajila said.
โWe made this proposal to the Ministry of Finance as we were supporting the vote for the Ministry of Health and Child Care budget. The onus is now on the Ministry of Finance to fund that component.โ
However, the 2025 national budget allocated only ZiG 28.3 billion to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, representing just 10 percent of total government spending.
This is a decline from 10.6 percent in 2024 and falls far short of the Abuja Declaration target of 15 percent for healthcare funding.
Health officials and economists argue that Zimbabweโs reliance on imported medical supplies and equipment is unsustainable.
At the recent National Competitiveness Commission Inaugural Competitiveness Summit held in Bulawayo,Cornelius Dube, Chief Economist at the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), highlighted the countryโs poor performance in industrial competitiveness, noting that 52 percent of raw materials used in the manufacturing industry are imported.
โFor example 87 percent of raw materials in the pharmaceutical industry are imported,โ Dube said.
When reached for comments, Mpilo Chief Medical Officer Dr Narcisius Dzvanga, said he was too busy to take calls and directed questions to the Clinical Director, Professor Solwayo Ngwenya, who said โno comment.โ
Health officials said for Zimbabwe to achieve its Vision 2030 goals, a fundamental shift in the governmentโs approach to healthcare funding and infrastructure development is essential.
โAs we move towards Vision 2030, we need to work on our manufacturing capacity and railway infrastructure. The Treasury or Ministry of Finance should be sincere in their dealings with the Ministry of Health,โ said the official.
