Doctors in Zimbabwe have hiked their fees by a staggering 100%, putting them well out of the reach of many, state radio reported on Wednesday.
It will now cost around three million Zimbabwean dollars ($37) to visit a general practitioner, the report said.
Most Zimbabweans earn less than five million Zimbabwean dollars a month and some teachers earn only three million.
Specialist doctors’ fees have gone up to around Z$4,4-million ($54) according to the new figures announced by the Zimbabwe Medical Association (Zima), the radio said.
”The increase in medical tariffs has been necessitated by the increase in inflation which is currently pegged at 502%,” the radio station said.
Zimbabwe’s health service has been crippled by shortages of foreign currency needed to buy drugs and other medical supplies, an exodus of trained staff and high rates of HIV infection. At least one in five Zimbabweans in the productive age group — which Unicef puts at 15-49 years — is believed to be HIV-positive.
The radio said the fees would go up again in March. – Sapa-DPA