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Harare: Zimbabwe has appealed for donors to help in the ongoing cholera crisis that has killed 565 people, state media reported on Thursday.
The Herald newspaper quoted Health Minister David Parirenyatwa as saying that the health sector was suffering from a critical shortage of resources.
"Our central hospitals are literally not functioning. Our staff is demotivated and we need your support to ensure that they start coming to work and our health system is revived," he said.
Zimbabwe needs medicines and medical equipment, as well as food to feed patients and for child supplementary feeding programmes.
"The emergency appeal will help us reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with the current socio-economic environment by December 2009," Parirenyatwa said.
The collapsing Zimbabwe health sector is unable to cope with the outbreak of the disease which is both treatable and preventable.
Zimbabwe's deputy minister for water and infrastructural development Walter Mzembi said his ministry only had water treatment chemicals to last about 12 weeks, and called for donor support, the Herald reported.
"I am appealing for at least 40 million rand ($3.89 million) to purchase chemicals for the next two months and the money is needed between now and next Monday," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
The Zimbabwe government also appealed for $450 million in aid to deal with food shortages.
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