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Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
HARARE Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni has written to Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo seeking budgetary support for the City Health Department. Cllr Manyenyeni claimed Government now owed council $95 million in health grants.

According to a 1976 agreement, the Ministry of Health and Child Care is obliged to reimburse 50 percent of the city’s Health Services Department expenditure annually.

The city says Government has not been honouring its commitments and as of December 31 last year the outstanding grants had accumulated to $95 316 860.

“I attach for your attention, copy of our letter to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, pleading for our expected budgetary support,” said Cllr Manyenyeni.

“The city would be most grateful for any engagement you could make to your colleague minister to assist in this matter, appreciating as we do that the Ministry of Health and Child Care may not be well-resourced to fully attend to their own direct programmes.”

In the letter addressed to Health and Child Care Secretary Brigadier-General (Retired) Dr Gerald Gwinji, acting finance director Mr Stanley Ndemera said the city was currently facing liquidity constraints due to its various obligations.

“The City Health Department is amongst the city’s cost centres due to the need to fund salaries for its professionals and other operational costs such as drugs, equipment, vehicles, repairs and maintenance among others,” reads the letter.

“For the city to continue to provide meaningful health services to Harare residents, I kindly request the ministry to honour its obligations. Alternatively, may I propose that you facilitate discussions with the Ministry of Finance so that the debt is set off from what the city owes Government and Zimra.”

The city says expenditure on health services rendered by Harare City Council clinics is a major funding burden on ratepayers who are contributing 84 percent of the department’s gross revenue expenditure of over $28 million.

The city feels the figure could have been lower if Government was meeting its financial obligations, which requires it to pay 50 percent of the Health Services Department total current expenditure.

The City Health Department major expenditure items include salaries, allowances, drugs and dressings.