On the afternoon of Friday, 6 March, Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his wife, Susan, were involved in a serious car accident while traveling to their rural home in Buhera.

The accident involved another vehicle.

The  Prime Minister is in stable condition and his wife is in critical condition.

Medical response to the accident was rapid.

Further details will be forthcoming, as possible.

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Health, Health Professionals, Invited Guests, Fellow Zimbabweans;

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to address this summit today as it enables me to emphasise how important the work that you are doing is to this government and to this nation and to assure you of all the support that we are able to give.

As a Zimbabwean, I am proud of the role that our health system has played in the history of our nation’s development. While we must all acknowledge that it is only a shadow of its former self, I know that in a short time we will be able to begin revitalising our health system because of its inherent foundations.

Ladies and , a decline in the health of a population is a sign that there is something wrong within our society as a whole. When, as a society, the poorest and most vulnerable are not able to afford the costs of their health care and their survival, we cannot judge ourselves to be succeeding by any measure.

For this new Inclusive Government, making improvements in people’s health will be one of the most important indicators of whether we are making the right choices politically and implementing them effectively. 

Mr. Speaker Sir, Vice Presidents, Deputy Prime Ministers, Honourable Members;

Thank you for this opportunity to address this, the Seventh Parliament of Zimbabwe, which I trust will be amongst the most cooperative, bold and decisive in our country’s history.

This address to Parliament will outline the legislative vision as embodied in the Global Political Agreement and will later be following its presentation to, and approval by, Cabinet and the Council of Ministers.

In the short life of our new Transitional Inclusive Government, I have been encouraged by the enormous support and cooperation I have received and witnessed at the parliamentary, ministerial, executive and civil service levels. If this spirit of teamwork continues, and I have no reason to doubt that it will not, then together we can rebuild our nation and restore Zimbabwe to its proud place in the family of nations.

The signing of the Global Political Agreement on 15 September 2008, signified the soft landing of the Zimbabwe crisis and the commencement of a process that is irreversible and will lead to a new constitution and free and fair elections. It signified the acceptance of the reality that violence has no part to play in our political culture and it signified that the voice of the people can not be silenced indefinitely.

Coming face to face with the grim state of health care delivery in Zimbabwe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai visited Harare Central Hospital on Friday, along with Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Ms. Thokozani Khupe, Minister of Health and Child Welfare Hon. Dr Henry Madzorera, Acting Permanent Secretary Dr Dhlakama and Senior Ministry of Health officials. 

The almost two-hour assessment took the Prime Minister and his team to the general wards, maternity wards, male and female wards, pediatric ward, mortuary and the grounds. 

“To simply say our nation’s health care system is collapsed does not properly characterize just how devastating is the situation for Zimbabwe’s few remaining doctors, nurses, hospital staff and the huge number of patients” said Prime Minister Tsvangirai.

“Our medical professionals work night and day to try to heal our people despite dire shortages of medicine, supplies, and even food for the patients," he said. “Our system has collapsed but our medical professionals are among the heroes of Zimbabwe.”

Members of the Diplomatic Corp and the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow Zimbabweans;

Today, I want to take this opportunity to highlight developments within the Transitional Government a mere two weeks after my inauguration as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.

Firstly, I would like to commend the Ministers for the work they have been doing in the very short time that they have been in office.

They have managed to begin to address some of the many issues facing the country and I am encouraged by the open and constructive debates within Cabinet and the Council of Ministers. In particular, I would like to recognise the efforts of the Ministries of Health, Education and Finance. The latter has mobilised funds that have enabled this government to pay the first round of allowances to the civil service, particularly the army, police and teachers.

Not only did this allow these valuable members of our community to put food on their tables and travel to work, but has also served as a vital stimulus to our ailing economy. Those who have not yet received their allowance will do so in the near future.