Gweru-Zimbabwe-76-year-old Ambuya ( a local name for grandmother) Mandlovu of Mutapa suburb, in the Midlands province capital, Gweru, visits the province's largest referral hospital. A diabetic patient, Ambuya Ndlovu hopes to find the drugs that can ease her condition. But the hospital, despite the infrastructure that gives it an appearance of a magnificent health center is a pale shadow of what used to be excellent health facilities that could be accessed by patients a few years ago. Gweru is Zimbabwe's third largest city. Despite opening its doors to the public, Gweru General Hospital, just like other big hospitals in Zimbabwe has literally closed its doors as drugs and other health equipment are just not available. Who could ever have imagined that patients like Granny Mandlovu would one day be asked to buy their own needles and medications at government health institutions?
