Women, poverty, and HIV in Zimbabwe: An Exploration of inequalities in health care.

Abstract

The writing of this essay was inspired by reflections on my own family life. I have experienced suffering, pain, frustration, and despair, combined with a debilitating sense of hopelessness, when faced with illness because of a lack of resources. During the past few years, I have lost close relatives and loved ones, mostly from HIV-related illnesses; watching helplessly as they lay dying, I wished I had the financial means to assist them in accessing medication. This pain was mule even greater due to the realization that some of their ailments could have been treated, or at least be temporarily relieved through pain-relieving medications.