Zim Private hospitals now required to provide emergency treatment regardless of ability to pay
Private hospitals now required to provide emergency treatment regardless of ability to pay
HARARE — Private health institutions in Zimbabwe are now legally required to admit and provide emergency treatment to patients with life-threatening conditions, regardless of their ability to pay, following the gazetting of the Medical Services Amendment Act, 2026.
The new law requires private health institutions to provide emergency medical treatment and stabilise patients for up to 48 hours, or until they can be safely transferred to an appropriate facility.
The Act defines emergency medical treatment as care necessary to treat or reduce a life-threatening but reversible deterioration in a person’s health that poses an immediate risk to life or long-term health. The obligation continues until the patient’s condition has been stabilised or the emergency has been sufficiently addressed.
The legislation also empowers the Minister of Health and Child Care to request private health institutions to provide specialist services to patients referred from public health facilities during public health emergencies or other exceptional circumstances.
To facilitate implementation, the Act allows private healthcare providers to recover the costs of treatment through agreements with the State or directly from patients, where applicable.
The amendments introduce penalties for non-compliance. Heads of private health institutions who unlawfully refuse to admit emergency patients, or health practitioners who refuse treatment without the authority of the institution, are liable to a fine not exceeding Level 8, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
The amendments are intended to ensure that patients facing life-threatening medical emergencies receive immediate care irrespective of their financial circumstances, while establishing a legal framework for private healthcare providers to recover the costs of providing emergency services.
