On December 4, 2008, four months after the start of the current outbreak in Harare, ZANU-PF Health Minister David Parirenyatwa declared the outbreak a national emergency.50 But on December 11 Mugabe claimed the crisis was over, ignoring international humanitarian and WHO data, which showed a sharp increase in infections and deaths.51 A Failing Health System Many district hospitals and municipal clinics in Zimbabwe are currently either closed or operating at minimum capacity. Other aggravating factors include dilapidated infrastructure, equipment failures, and a “brain drain” of medical professionals.52 As a result, ordinary Zimbabweans cannot access basic healthcare. The cholera outbreak has been aggravated by the closure in November of Harare’s two main public hospitals, Parirenyatwa and Harare, and a shortage of drugs and medical personnel.53 The main victims of the health crisis are the elderly, children, women and the chronically ill, including people living with HIV/AIDS.54 The crisis is such that in November 2008, UNICEF moved into a 120-day emergency mode, focusing on the cholera outbreak and providing emergency health care to children.55 On November 20 the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR), a local human rights NGO, expressed grave concerns about the impact on maternal health of the closure of two government maternity hospitals in greater Harare.56 Since 1994, mortality has increased among mothers from 283 to more than 1,100 deaths per 100,000 live births.57 50 Barry Bearak, “Zimbabwe Declares Cholera Emergency,” New York Times, December 4, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/world/africa/05zimbabwe.html?ref=health (accessed December 4. 2008). 51 “Zimbabwe Cholera is Over – Mugabe,” BBC online news, December 11, 2008, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7777178.stm, (accessed December 11, 2008). 52 UN Consolidated Appeal Process for Zimbabwe 2009, http://ochaonline.un.org/AppealsFunding/CAP2009/tabid/5120/language/en-US/Default.aspx (accessed January 12, 2009). 53 Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights “Collapsed Health System Violating Health Rights,” November 19, 2008. 54 UN Consolidated Appeal Process for Zimbabwe 2009, http://ochaonline.un.org/AppealsFunding/CAP2009/tabid/5120/language/en-US/Default.aspx (accessed January 12, 2009). 55 “UNICEF Intensifies Emergency Response,” UNICEF press statement, December 2, 2008, http://www.unicef.org/media/media_46710.html (accessed December 2, 2008). 56 Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights, “Pregnant Women in Grave Danger,” November 20, 2008. See also Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights “Collapsed Health System Violating Health Rights,” November 19, 2008. 57 Government of Zimbabwe, “Zimbabwe Millennium Development Goals, 2004 Progress Report,” http://www.millenniumcampaign.org/atf/cf/%7BD15FF017-0467-419B-823ED6659E0CCD39% 7D/2004%20ZMDG%20Report.pdf (accessed March 28, 2008); World Bank, “Millennium Development Goals: Eradicating poverty and improving lives: 2006 World Development Indicators, 2006,” http://devdata.worldbank.org/wdi2006/contents/Foreword.htm (accessed March 28, 2008). 19 Human Rights Watch January 2009