"Ganda suffered from severe pain in his legs that left him confined to bed and unable to tend the small tuck shop he ran in Kambuzuma, a low-income suburb in Harare. list of 3 itemsend of list Like millions of Zimbabweans without health insurance and unable to cover hospital expenses, he had hoped to soldier through and get well without medical attention."
"Doctors initially suspected he'd suffered a stroke. But on further inspection, they told the family he may have a kidney-related issue and needed to see a specialist, a nephrologist whose consultation fee was $600. With no savings, Ganda's family spent a month late last year trying to gather the money, hoping it would save his life. But it was too late. We couldn't raise that amount, Mutambararo, 39, told Al Jazeera. He died barely a month after the admission."
"the service that bid him farewell was enviable: a casket, a hearse, burial equipment and a 65-seat bus to carry mourners on the 135km (85-mile) journey from Harare to his hometown of Wedza. While Ganda could not afford health insurance, which averages about $200 per month and would have covered his diagnosis and treatment, he never missed his $11 monthly payment to a funeral services company, Nyaradzo Group, which paid his post-death costs."
Many Zimbabweans prioritize funeral insurance over health insurance, paying small monthly premiums to cover post-death costs while lacking medical coverage. A common pattern is low-cost funeral plans versus expensive health policies: health insurance averages about $200 per month, while funeral payments can be as little as $11 monthly. Families without savings often cannot pay for specialist care or hospital fees, forcing delayed treatment or self-care at home. Funeral companies cover burial expenses and can provide elaborate services, highlighting a social choice to prepare for death when survival-era healthcare is unaffordable.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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