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Harare—The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) has raised alarm over what it calls the Government’s slow pace in securing essential cancer treatment equipment, despite funds raised through a sugar content tax intended to bolster public health.
In a statement released this week, ZADHR highlighted that two years after the Sugar Tax was introduced, there has been insufficient progress toward alleviating the suffering of cancer patients nationwide.
“The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development confirmed that by November 2024, approximately USD 30.8 million in a special tax on sugar-contained beverages had been collected, however, no disbursement had been made to the Ministry of Health and Child Care for the procurement of cancer treatment machinery,” said ZDHR in a statement.
The association notes that additional funds were collected in 2025, yet no allocations have been reported to support cancer care equipment procurement.
This delay, ZADHR argues, “undermines the primary objective of the Sugar Tax: to improve public health outcomes through targeted investment in non-communicable disease management, including cancer”.
Zimbabwe bears one of the highest cancer burdens in Southern Africa, with an age-standardized incidence rate of 208 per 100,000 and mortality of 144 per 100,000 (Globocan 2022).
This burden surpasses neighboring countries such as South Africa (203/122), Namibia (193/113), Zambia (159/109), and Botswana (115/66).
The country records over 17,700 new cancer cases and nearly 12,000 deaths annually, a toll attributed in part to late diagnosis and limited treatment capacity.
The strain on Zimbabwe’s health system elevates household health expenditures and undermines productivity.
ZADHR called on the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to urgently disburse the collected Sugar Tax funds to the Ministry of Health and Child Care for the immediate procurement of cancer treatment equipment.
Efforts to get a comment from the Finance Minister, Prof Mthuli Ncube were fruitless.
The association also called on the Ministry of Health and Child Care to expedite transparent procurement and installation processes once funds are received and to strengthen the capacity of technical staff to ensure proper utilization and maintenance of the equipment.
The association said government must have a commitment to equitable access, ensuring that not only the central hospitals but also provincial and district centers benefit from these investments to prevent leaving patients behind.
As Zimbabwe continues to navigate economic challenges, ZADHR emphasized the need for transparent, timely, and equitable utilisation of health-specific tax revenues to address the nation’s cancer burden.
Meanwhile Chiredzi Central Legislator, Ropafadzo Makumire, raised a motion on the same issue to Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora in Parliament recently expressing concern over slow progress in the acquiring of the machines despite the announcement that $30, 3 million was available.
“So far there is no machine that has been bought my question is, what is taking so long to purchase the equipment when the funds are there?” Makumire questioned.
Minister Mombeshora responded that that delays were caused because the cancer treatment machines are very expensive and had to consult cancer machines experts before buying.
“We inquired from the Finance Ministry last year and we were advised they had raised US$30.3 million so that we could plan the number of equipment to buy. We have planned to start with Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare and Mplilo in Bulawayo whose machines have not been working for over three years that’s why there were delays” he told parliament.
He said the machine costs about US$5 million dollars each.
