The collapse of Zimbabwe’s economy and, consequently, its health care system in December 2008 led to widespread food insecurity, malnutrition, and outbreaks of infectious disease, including cholera.
PHR led an investigation which concluded that the government of then-President Robert Mugabe had used any means at its disposal, including politicizing the health sector, to maintain its hold on power – in the process destroying a health system that was once a model in southern Africa.
“Health in Ruins: A Man-Made Disaster in Zimbabwe” found that, instead of fulfilling its people’s right to health, the Mugabe government had presided over the shuttering of hospitals and clinics, the closing of its medical school, and the beatings of health workers – all with fatal consequences. PHR’s report assessed this intentional destruction of health and sanitation systems as a crime against humanity, an assertion that was supported by renowned international law experts.
