Outrage at WHO as Mugabe’s ‘goodwill ambassador’ role is withdrawn
Harare — An emergency tray at a public hospital in Zimbabwe stands empty, for medical supplies have run out — just one example why President Robert Mugabe’s brief appointment as a World Health Organisation (WHO) "goodwill ambassador" provoked such outrage. Under Mugabe’s rule, life expectancy in Zimbabwe dived from 61 in 1985 to just 44 in 2002, before recovering to 60 today, due largely to international aid. The major causes of the country’s health crisis have been the collapse of healthcare, falling standards of living as the economy has crumbled, and the struggle to tackle HIV/AIDS, experts say. At the large public hospital near the capital Harare, doctors say syringes, surgical gloves and basic painkillers are all in short supply every day. They requested that the hospital’s name not be used to avoid repercussions from government officials. Last week, a medical team at the facility was forced to delay a caesarean section because there was no running water for doctors and nurses ...
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