“Is the ministry aware of what is happening in both private and public health institutions where we have experienced many non-COVID-19 deaths because the policy is that one cannot be admitted when they do not have COVID-19 test results?

In response, Mangwiro said while health institutions insisted on COVID-19 test results, they still treated the patients.

“If by any chance there are health workers demanding COVID-19 health certificates from patients visiting health institutions before they can be attended to, it is illegal, unethical and unacceptable as it is not an official position of the Health and Child Care ministry,” he said.

“It is the responsibility of the government to meet the cost of testing the potential clients visiting health facilities if it suspects that they may be COVID-19 patients as a precautionary measure to protect the health workers.”

In a related development, the number of returnees fleeing from quarantine centres keep rising amid reports that some were bribing their way out to avoid paying US$65 which government claimed was for transportation of their test samples.