The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) has commended President Emmerson Mnangagwa for his surprise visits to two of the country's largest referral hospitals, while urging immediate action to address the country's ailing public healthcare system.

In a statement released following what the government described as an "impromptu" tour of Parirenyatwa and Sally Mugabe Central Hospitals in Harare, ZADHR said the visits gave the President "an opportunity to appreciate, first-hand, the state of public health service delivery" in the country."

ZADHR believes that the visit provided President Mnangagwa with an opportunity to appreciate, first-hand, the state of public health services delivery system in Zimbabwe, which is generally plagued by dilapidated infrastructure, shortages of drugs and consumables and demoralised human resources," the statement said.

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The medical professionals called on the President to take the next step by establishing a Commission of Inquiry into the healthcare sector.

They argue that a high-level probe is critical for assessing and reforming the system in line with the country's constitutional guarantees on health rights.

"The Commission of Inquiry should be mandated to enquire into the situation of health service provision by Government and its agencies with a view to ensuring service delivery that responds to the obligations created by the Constitution, which under section 76 guarantees the right to health care," ZADHR said.

Among the key areas the proposed inquiry should investigate, according to the doctors, are the current mechanisms for health financing in Zimbabwe and the challenges they face, adherence to the Abuja Declaration commitment to allocate at least 15% of the national budget to health and transparency and impact of health-related taxes, such as the "sugar tax," since their introduction.

ZADHR said the probe should also look at staffing levels at referral hospitals compared to their establishment requirements, and the "poor remuneration of all medical practitioners" driving the exodus of skilled personnel.

The Doctors said the inquiry must not be a closed-door process.

"The process must, therefore, be robust with full engagement of public health institutions, health workers, communities and other relevant stakeholders on the state of affairs. Citizens must also be allowed to give evidence of their actual experiences of the health sector," the statement added.

The country's public health sector has long faced challenges ranging from underfunding and infrastructure decay to brain drain and drug shortages -- issues that have been exacerbated in recent years by economic instability and inflation.