Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) has accused doctors employed in public hospitals of making illegal referrals.

This was contained in the organisation’s report on corruption in the public health sector in Zimbabwe.

According to the organisation, public health medical practitioners and specialists use uncouth means to attract clients to the health care private sector where they own surgeries.

It is understood that Zimbabwe has witnessed a sprout of private medical centres in its major cities and towns as public hospitals and clinics, according to TIZ, lack medical equipment and drugs.

Also, medical professionals who are constantly up in arms with the government over poor remuneration and bad working conditions are dejected and a sizeable number of specialists, including nurses, have left the country for greener pastures.

‘Since 1991, there has been a tremendous increase and growth of private health care centres largely underpinned by an extensive private sector health insurance system and government policy support for private sector involvement’, the TIZ report read.

‘This has facilitated medical specialists and general practitioners to open private health facilities whilst rendering their services in the public sector’.

The organisation noted that some employers and or workers at private facilities double as specialists in the public health care institutions, creating room for them to make these ‘false referrals’.

‘It was stated that doctors usually recommend patients to go to their private facilities where they are charged exorbitant fees for seeking health care’, the reported noted.

‘Whilst there is evidence of lack of drugs and equipment in public hospitals, this creates a notion that private hospitals or clinics have better services leading to exorbitant charges in those private facilities’.

Source: Transparency International

Photo source: Andrea Piacquadio