Zimbabwe Faces Pressure to Expand Public Access to CT Scans Amid Funding Shortfall

Harare - The Zimbabwean government is facing renewed pressure to address a critical shortage of Computed Tomography (CT) scan machines in public hospitals, a deficit that lawmakers argue is creating a two-tier healthcare system where life-saving diagnostics are reserved for the wealthy.

During one of the Parliamentary question-and-answer sessions, Mkoba South Member of Parliament Honourable John Kuka, challenged the Ministry of Health and Child Care over the unavailability of essential imaging services in district and provincial facilities.

Hon. Kuka noted that the reliance on private providers has made the services unaffordable for the majority of citizens.

"The shortage of these machines in public hospitals and only having them in private hospitals has made it unaffordable," Kuka told the house.

"What is government doing to ensure that these machines are available in district and provincial hospitals so that people can have their scans at affordable prices?" He asked 

In response, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. Sleiman Kwidini, acknowledged the diagnostic gap but cited severe fiscal constraints.

He indicated that while the government intends to equip every provincial and district hospital, a specific timeline remains elusive due to the Treasury's limited capacity.

"The money being collected by the Treasury is not enough to do everything in a single day, but we are getting to them," Kwidini said.

"I cannot give you the date when we will get the machines. We have too many problems that need money as a nation," he said.

For many Zimbabweans, a CT scan, essential for diagnosing head injuries, strokes and various cancers, is almost a financial impossibility.

In the private sector, these scans can cost between US$200 and US$500.

Speaking to Kwedu News, Hon. Kuka said Section 76 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe mandates that every citizen has the right to access basic healthcare services.

He argued that the current status quo violates this right, framing the issue as one of social justice and equality.

In his formal call for action, Hon. Kuka said lack of public equipment leads to preventable deaths.

"Many serious diseases affecting our people today require CT scans for accurate diagnosis," he stated, adding that "in many cases, patients lose their lives simply because they cannot afford a CT scan."

The government's current strategy relies heavily on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).

Deputy Minister Kwidini defended this model, suggesting that leveraging private sector equipment at regulated, affordable rates is the most viable short-term solution.

"That's why as a nation we have a public-private partnership whereby what government does not have, we work with those who do in the private sector, but at affordable charges so that everyone can access," Hon. Kwidini said.

The Minister pointed to the success of similar programs in maternal health, where portable ultrasound machines were deployed to rural clinics, allowing trained nurses to perform scans that previously required long-distance travel to urban centers.

The diagnostic crisis comes as Zimbabwe works toward its National Development Strategy 2 (NDS1 and the upcoming NDS2), which prioritises the strengthening of public health infrastructure.

The health sector however has long grappled with brain drain of specialised radiologists and a lack of foreign currency required to maintain and import high-tech medical equipment.

While the government maintains that progress is being made "progressively," lawmakers insist that without a concrete investment plan for state-owned machinery, the country's poorest will continue to be excluded from modern medicine.

"Access to modern diagnostic equipment like CT scan machines is not a luxury, it is a necessity for saving lives," Hon. Kuka said.