McGee: Health conditions bad in Zimbabwe

The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe is deteriorating rapidly because of an impasse among political leaders, the U.S. ambassador said Thursday.

Even though a power-sharing agreement was signed Sept. 15 calling for a unified government of President Robert Mugabe's ruling party and the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangiari, "we still have no government formed herein Zimbabwe," said Ambassador James McGee during a telephone news conference from Harare.

"We're seeing the humanitarian situation here in Zimbabwe really go down the tubes," he said. "Estimates from the United Nations community is that 1.5 million Zimbabweans are at risk of food insecurity right now, and by the end of this crop season that number could jump up to over 5 million people."

The country's health system has collapsed, McGee said, noting three major hospitals in Harare closed their doors to patients. He said he has heard that clinics in the countryside are unable to operate.

"People are routinely turned away from clinics, and in some places police have been stationed outside of clinics to ensure that no one can enter the premises," McGee said.

He said there are 294 confirmed cholera deaths, more than 1,200 confirmed cases of cholera and 2,500 unconfirmed cases. South Africa has offered to help Zimbabwe to deal with the epidemic, McGee said.

"So you can see, the political situation has created a concurrent situation on the health and food side of the house that is, frankly, intolerable," McGee said.