As 2009 settled in, Zimbabwe’s public health situation worsened.
The cholera epidemic continues to gain ground. By end of March, nearly 4,200 people have died and close to 100,000 have been affected.
Merlin has partnered with the German NGO, Welthungerhilfe (GAA) and has been scaling up to address Zimbabwe’s public health crisis since November 2008.
Currently, Merlin is reaching up to 500,000 people with a network of oral rehydration points, or ORPs, in both rural and urban areas.
Kate Sheahan, Merlin’s Emergency Response Program Manager who is currently acting as Country Director, highlights one of the serious consequences of an economy increasingly reliant on the use of foreign currency: it has taken a heavy toll on access to health care, which is now commonly priced in US dollars.
Today, a pregnant mother, who needs an emergency C-section, might pay as much as USD $800. “The average person doesn’t earn US dollars, Euros or British pounds and there is an 80 percent unemployment rate,” she explains.
Merlin’s assistance is provided at no cost to cholera patients.
“We are prepared to respond as long as necessary,” Kate adds. However to do so, Merlin desperately needs additional funding to continue to treat and prevent cholera cases and strengthen Zimbabwe’s collapsed health system.
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