Contributions of Local Authorities to the Realisation of Human Rights in Zimbabwe: The Case of Bindura Rural District Council (BRDC) and the Right to Health Care

Abstract

The paper examines the contributions of rural district councils towards the realisation of the right to health care in Zimbabwe. Conventional literature has predominantly focused on the contributions of the central government and challenges it has faced in fulfilling the right to health care. However, little is known about the obligations that local authorities as the agencies of the central government have concerning the realisation of this right. The paper aims to fill this gap by focusing on the extent at which BRDC has respected, protected, and fulfilled the right to health care among the rural people in Bindura Ward 16. A mixed methodology was adopted for the study based on a human rights approach. Data emerging from a literature review, in-depth interviews and a survey, demonstrate that the majority of the rural people are aware of health care issues but have little knowledge on the right and the obligations that local authorities have. Despite the limited knowledge, the findings show that the BRDC has played a complementary role to the central government through the construction of the Chiveso clinic,management of the infrastructure, and roads leading to the health point. The central government has provided financial resources, solar power, medicine, and personnel for the clinic. These contributions are worth celebrating as they indicate the milestones that both central and local authorities have achieved with regard to the right to health care in Bindura. Respondents noted that the BRDC has, to some extent, not been effective in contributing towards this right. For example, people still walk long distances to access health points, poor road networks, and critical drugs are scarce. Such factors compromise the quality and accessibility of health care that people are entitled to. The challenges faced by the BRDC cannot be separated from the general macro-economic challenges of the central government. This paper exemplifies that there is need for additional funding towards the BRDC for it to effectively contribute towards the right to health care. Instead, the rural people of Bindura need awareness campaigns concerning the right to health care in order to improve public accountability.