Murewanhema, GrantDzinamarira, TafadzwaHerrera, HelenaMusuka, Godfrey2022-10-182022-10-182021-10Murewanhema, G., Dzinamarira, T., Herrera, H. et al. Ensuring accelerated accessibility and affordability of treatment services for COVID-19 patients in Zimbabwe: An urgent call to action. South African Medical Journal, vol. 111, no. 10, pp. 922, oct. 2021. doi:10.7196/SAMJ.2021.v111i10.16035.2078- 5135 (online)0256-9574 (print)10.7196/SAMJ.2021.v111i10.16035https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/87787Timely access to quality healthcare services is a basic human right. Governments globally have a responsibility to ensure wider coverage and access, particularly to essential and lifesaving healthcare services. For these reasons, there has been a strong call for universal health coverage. Private medical insurance promotes inequalities in accessing care, perpetuated by ever-widening socioeconomic gaps. In resource-constrained settings, the lower and more vulnerable social classes suffer more from disparities during crisis times such as the COVID-19 pandemic.enThis open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0.HealthcareUniversal health coverage (UHC)AccessibilityCOVID-19 pandemicCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)AffordabilityZimbabweArticle