Women call for prioritisation of health sector in 2022 National Budget
Government of Zimbabwe needs to prioritise allocation of funds towards the health sector in the 2022 National Budget so as to ease the burden presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking into account the shocks which the health sector experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is need for allocation of a significant amount of funds so as to equip the sector to be in a better position when faced with crisis such as this.
This was said by Jacqueline Ndlovu, a woman from Bulawayo during the 2022 National Budget Consultations which were held on the 13th of October 2021 in Bulawayo. The National Budget Consultations were conducted by the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development and members of the Expanded Sustainable Development Goals Committee.
Phakamani Moyo a Social and Economic Justice Ambassador who was in attendance at the National Budget Consultations echoed the same sentiments.
“The Zimbabwe health sector has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; we therefore call upon government of Zimbabwe to consider serious investments in the health system. We call upon government of Zimbabwe to fulfil its commitment to allocate 15% of the national budget to the health sector as set out in the Abuja Declaration. This will go a long way in reviving our health system,” submitted Moyo.
“The 15% allocation towards the health sector is a commitment that should be fulfilled in addressing issues of access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR). Lack of access to SRHR has highly contributed to a sharp rise in teenage pregnancies. We have seen a surge in school dropouts due to teenage pregnancies which can also be attributed to lack of access to SRHR. The budget allocation should also address issues of provision of sanitary wear especially for school going girls,” submitted Sindisiwe Nkomo who was also a participant at the National Budget Consultation.
Also making a submission at the Budget Consultations, Abigail Ncube highlighted that there is need for a 16 – 20 % allocation towards the Education sector in the National Budget. She highlighted that this will cover employment costs, learning materials, COVID-19 response, provision of sanitary wear and basic state funded education.
Parliament is bound by the Constitution to consult the public on its Budget processes. The public hearings are intended to provide an opportunity for members of the public to engage with MPs constituting the teams and to explain what they think the 2022 National Budget should – or should not – contain and why. Members of the Public were able to make inputs with regards to allocation of funds to Ministries and priority areas for funding for the 2022 financial year.