The Mwonzora led MDC-T party has challenged the government to prioritise the acquisition and provision of ventilators, vaccines and Personal Protective Equipment for citizens and those working in public hospitals.
The part issued the statement through its spokesperson Witness Dube as a response to the State of the Nation Address by President Mnangagwa on Saturday.
Dube also called on the government to finalise plans to roll out vaccines especially to the frontline workers.
His statement read, “The MDC calls on the government to immediately finalise plans regarding the procurement and rollout of an inoculation programme for our population with safe and medically approved vaccines from reliable partners.“
He went on to challenge the government that it has “to spare no effort or resource in providing ventilators, masks, sanitizers and soaps to general hospitals and the marginalised Zimbabwean population.“
President Mnangagwa’s Saturday address had highlighted that the country’s frontline workers would be the first to receive the vaccines once they are acquired.
Dube urged the government to try and cater for poor families while urging locals to put politics aside and join hands in the fight against this pandemic.
“As the deadlier pandemic takes its toll, the MDC reiterates that the poor continue to suffer the most.
“This is the time for quality decisive leadership. We urge all Zimbabweans across the political divide to depoliticise the fight against Covid-19 as we collectively put shoulders to the wheel.
“While we acknowledge the lockdown measures put in place as currently one of the most responsible steps being implemented world over in containing the pandemic, we however reserve our right in sharing the president’s optimism on our ability as a nation to respond appropriately to the upsurge in fatalities,” he said.