- Zimbabwe's finance minister says the country has spent around 13% of the country's collected revenues fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
- This was spent on risk allowances for frontline workers and upgrading health facilities, as well as drugs and PPE.
- The money also went to lockdown enforcement.
Zimbabwe spent approximately 13% of 2020's total collected revenues in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, a senior government official has said.
Like every other country, Zimbabwe has been battling against the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed lives of 3.6% of 33 388 confirmed cases as at 31 January.
The situation has been made worse by the poor state of the country's public health facilities, where frontline health workers have consistently complained about inadequate remuneration and lack of personal protective equipment.
Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, however, said the southern African country had done the best it could, given the limited resource base.
Using his Twitter handle, Ncube said in 2020, the government of Zimbabwe had spent Z$25 billion (US$300 million, or ~R4.5 billion, at the official exchange rate) on the fight against Covid-19.
"The resources covered different aspects such as risk allowances of frontline workers and others, upgrade of health facilities, drugs, PPE, lockdown enforcement," Ncube said.
In 2020, Government of Zimbabwe spent Z$25 billion on the fight against COVID19, excluding the stimulus package. The resources covered different aspects such as risk allowances of frontline workers and others, upgrade of health facilities, drugs, PPE, lockdown enforcement.
— Prof. Mthuli Ncube (@MthuliNcube) January 31, 2021
The amount is roughly 13% of the country's 2020 revenue collections of Z$182 billion (US$2.2 billion).
Combined with prudent expenditure management, this will yield additional resources for the purchase of the Covid-19 vaccine, Ncube said.
Meanwhile, as at 28 January 2021, Zimbabwe had received US$119 million from Developmental Partners in the fight against Covid-19.
A further US$134 million is expected to be disbursed this year.
In a statement released Monday, Minister Ncube said the support, mostly from United Nations agencies, was targeted towards among other things national laboratories, case investigations and case management.
The Global Fund support towards the Covid-19 response also amounted to US$49 million, according to Ncube.
Some of these Global Fund grants came in form of equipment US$17.5 million. More deliveries are still under way.