"There is a critical shortage of items ranging from anaesthetics to surgical equipment at Parirenyatwa hospital," Douglas Gwatidzo, chairman of Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights told AFP.
"Surgeons can carry out operations but they are saying they cannot risk their profession and increase the risk on the lives of the patient.
"They are not prepared to be blamed for an operation which goes wrong because it was done without the necessary equipment, and operating on a patient when there are no painkillers to relieve their pain amounts to subjecting that patient to torture."
