In the wake of public outrage triggered by a viral video showing beloved Sungura artist Tatenda Pinjisi pleading for pain relief in a hospital bed, the Zimbabwean government has issued a statement seeking to clarify the circumstances surrounding his untimely death.
The video, which surfaced shortly after Pinjisi’s passing, ignited discussions about the state of healthcare in the country and access to essential medications.
Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana addressed the concerns on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, April 17, asserting that the narrative suggesting a lack of vital medication, particularly Pain Eaze, as the cause of Pinjisi’s death is misleading.
He emphasized that the government is taking steps to ensure that essential drugs are available in clinical areas of need across the nation.
“DRUGS IN CLINICAL AREAS OF NEED,” Mangwana tweeted. “Today, we asked to be given access to the dispensary at Gokwe District after ‘Pain Eaze’ had become a buzz word in our cyber space. We decided to make a random visit to a far flung hospital and check the state of things in the pharmacy. We were impressed.”
