Returning patients cannot fall through the cracks
Zimbabwean authorities are implementing health screenings and emergency clinics at border crossings to assist thousands of citizens returning from South Africa. Experts warn that without a comprehensive national policy for chronic disease management, these returnees face life-threatening interruptions to essential medical treatments.
Why it matters
The influx of returnees with chronic conditions like HIV and diabetes poses a significant public health challenge that requires structured government intervention to prevent a humanitarian crisis.
THOUSANDS of Zimbabweans are returning home from South Africa under difficult and often traumatic circumstances.
Many are fleeing xenophobic attacks, leaving behind jobs, homes and, in some cases, the healthcare systems that have kept them alive for years.
Among them are people living with HIV, diabetes, hypertension and other chronic illnesses whose survival depends not on sympathy, but on uninterrupted access to medication.
The Health and Child Care ministry's decision to deploy health workers at ports of entry and screen more than 100 000 returnees is commendable.
Establishing border clinics to provide emergency medication is also a positive first step.
However, these measures alone will not be sufficient if Zimbabwe is to prevent a looming public health crisis.
For people living with chronic illnesses, missing medication is not a minor inconvenience. It can be life-threatening.
For people living with HIV, interrupting antiretroviral therapy allows the virus to multiply rapidly.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in