Head in the sand?

For the people of Zimbabwe, there seems to be one crisis after another. Among the nation's problems is a strike by doctors that is almost a month old. The doctors are demanding housing and car allowances and a monthly salary of $1,000 [U.S.] -- a sharp rise from the current $170 a month paid to all public servants. This week, nurses joined the strike saying that doctors have a genuine case that needs urgent attention.The action is threatening the country's ability to deal with H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, and to prepare for the possible resurgence of the cholera epidemic.

Six million people in Zimbabwe -- more than half the population -- have limited or no access to safe water and sanitation in rural and urban areas. It also estimates more than 5 million in the nation face starvation.

But Rueben Marumahoko, a Zimbabwe junior minister and an appointee of the country’s president, Robert Mugabe, said the country is no longer in crisis. “There is need for Zimbabwe to move from the humanitarian support stage to the recovery stage,” he said. “Zimbabwe is no longer a country in crisis but a country in recovery.”

The comment drew laughter from many journalists covering the event.