Since 2016, Labour Economists and Afrikan Democrats (LEAD) President Linda Tsungirirai Masarira has been at the forefront of demanding a functional, accountable people-centered healthcare system in Zimbabwe. Her advocacy, rooted in passion, consistency, and a strong sense of justice has spotlighted the decay within the country’s public health sector, and challenged both the Executive and Ministry of Health and Childcare to meet their constitutional obligations.
From leading protests at Parirenyatwa Hospital over the failure of radiotherapy machines and poor health service, to proposing innovative solutions such as converting idle properties into drug rehabilitation centres, Masarira has been tireless in voicing the cries of the suffering majority. In 2016, she led a demonstration demanding urgent repair and investment in cancer treatment machines. Advocacy for healthcare reforms was at the core of President Masarira’s advocacy in 2017.
In 2022, she publicly questioned the misuse of national budget allocations to the health sector through an open letter to Vice President and Health Minister Constantino Chiwenga. In 2024, she issued a clarion call on the need to address Zimbabwe’s drug crisis and mental health neglect, and in 2025, she boldly proposed repurposing Harare City Council property into a rehab centre to combat the scourge of crystal meth.
Throughout these years, she has persistently called out the corruption, mismanagement, and systemic rot that have crippled service delivery. She has also shone a light on how sanctions and internal governance failures have jointly contributed to the collapse of the country’s healthcare infrastructure. Public hospitals remain under-equipped, understaffed, and overcrowded conditions that persist despite significant budgetary allocations announced each year.
Masarira’s advocacy has never been about political grandstanding. It has always been about the people like women dying while giving birth due to lack of equipment and negligence by health staff, senior citizens turned away due to drug shortages, and young people losing their lives to drug addiction with no rehabilitation options in sight.
What is disheartening, however, is the tendency of many Zimbabweans to ignore these deeply rooted, life-and-death issues in favour of divisive political commentary and personality politics. Healthcare is not a partisan issue. It is a human right, enshrined in the Constitution. Masarira has been unwavering in demanding that this right be upheld.
As LEAD, we acknowledge and salute our President’s enduring commitment to the health and dignity of every Zimbabwean. Her work is not merely political. It is revolutionary. We call on all citizens to join this #HealthRevolution and demand accountability, transparency, and equity in healthcare for all.
We urge all stakeholders, government, civil society, and the private sectors to collaborate in restoring integrity and functionality to Zimbabwe’s healthcare system.
#HealthRevolution
Healthcare is a right, not a privilege.
