Medical fees hike pushes up cost of living

22 Jun, 2014 - 03:06 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Sunday Mail Reporters
Despite the official cost of living for a low-income urban family of six going up by 6 percent between the months of April and May, the price of the monthly food basket fell marginally by 1,72 percent, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) has reported.

The decrease in the cost of the monthly food basket from by US$2,61 to US$148,74 at the end of May came as a result of the falling prices of several basic commodities.

According to the CCZ Low-Income Urban Earner Monthly Budget for April-May, the jump in the cost of living was driven mainly by increases in medical consultation fees.

Prices of various locally-manufactured basic commodities have been falling in recent times against a backdrop of weakening demand.

However, the CCZ survey attributed the slight decrease in the food basket price to supermarket promotions and marginal declines recorded in the cost of foodstuffs such as beef, tea leaves, flour and onions.

The price of beef fell by 30 cents to US$4,10 per kilogramme while the price of a kilogramme of onions fell by 53 cents from US$1,60 in April to US$1,07 by the end of May.

The cost of most basic commodities, however, remained unchanged.
No change was recorded in the prices of fuel, margarine, mealie meal, fresh milk, cooking oil, bread, flour, rice and bath soap.

The overall monthly budget for a low-income family for the month stood at US$592,97, up from US$559,42 the previous month.

The increase in medical consultation fees accounted for the US$33,55 difference.
The CCZ survey is conducted twice during the first and the last weeks of every month.

The total cost of the food basket and the price of each commodity are arrived at by averaging prices gathered from retail outlets throughout the country.

Between March and April, the cost of the consumer basket decreased from US$151,81 to US$151,35.
“The food basket decreased by US$2,61 or 1,72 percent from US$151,35 by end of April 2014 to US$148,74 by end of May 2014, as a result of supermarket promotions on most products and the ongoing OK Grand Challenge promotion.

“Decreases in prices were recorded in beef by 30 cents from US$4,40 to US$4,10, tea leaves which went down by 2 cents from US$1,87 to US$1,85, onions by 53 cents from US$1,60 to US$1,07, flour by 2 cents from US$1,89 to US$1,87.”

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