Author: Healthtimes

Going Beyond The Legal Framework On Abortion To Save Lives of Women and Girls

Healthtimes

By Edinah Masiyiwa Nokutenda Hwaramba was a 15-year-old girl who recently died at a shrine whilst giving birth. Her life, like that of other pregnant girls giving birth in shrines, was cut short for preventable causes and this angers me so much. One of the reasons given for why girls like Nokutenda did not deliver safely in a health center is “church doctrine,”’ which left them under the care of untrained religious people. One wonders why such a doctrine is still allowed in Zimbabwe, a country which signed the Maputo…

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All You Need To Know About Breast Cancer

Healthtimes

By Marjory Haruwandwi Bayayi: Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Science Student at University Of Zimbabwe Breast cancer is the uncontrolled proliferation (increase) of cells and it comes in various forms. This is determined by the location of cancer in the breast. A breast is made of three main parts namely the lobules, ducts, and connective tissue. The lobules are linked to the ducts. The ducts are thin tubes where milk flows from the lobules leading to the nipple. The breast has no muscle. Most cancers develop in the ducts or…

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Values clarification workshops to improve abortion knowledge and attitudes: Post assessment

Healthtimes

By Mufaro Musiyazviriyo The Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1977 states that it is illegal to terminate a pregnancy unless it has been sanctioned by Government authorities which includes, the court and state hospitals agreeing that the pregnancy in question was as a result of unlawful intercourse (rape/incest). The Act also allows for termination of pregnancy if the pregnancy endangers the life of the women or the child to be born will suffer from a physical or mental defect of such a nature that they will permanently be seriously handicapped.…

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Adolescents: the face of unsafe abortion: Time to act

Healthtimes

By Mildred T. Mushunje (PhD) Background Abortion is a public health and human rights issue which remains highly stigmatized regardless of efforts to liberalise it. Zimbabwe is one of the countries with high cases of unintended pregnancies among adolescent girls, which contributes to unsafe abortions (ZDHS, 2015) and these account for about 5% to maternal deaths (Ministry of Health, 2015). Contrary to populist belief, abortion is permitted under the colonial Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1977 which allows for abortion under the specific circumstances of rape, incest and to save…

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Abortion conversation must recognize women’s bodily autonomy and integrity

Healthtimes

By Memory Pamella Kadau The previous installments touched on the legal regime regulating abortion in Zimbabwe having previously established that abortion doesn’t pose a moral dilemma. If anything, abortion services are part of the basic health needs for tens of thousands of women each year in Zimbabwe. That the law proscribes safe abortion by choice, limiting it to exceptional cases of medical emergencies, rape and incest is an act of injustice which undermines this right. This article will look at the dimension of how existing abortion regulation undermines the fundamental…

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Collective agency, the answer to health inequality

Healthtimes

DEMANDING universal rights to health requires collective agency across different communities and agencies within and across African countries, a recent EQUINET Regional Conference on health in East and Southern Africa heard. By Nyasha Chingono  Delegates during the virtual conference, agreed that building alliances and capacities, within and across countries will be critical in bridging the widening health gap. The conference themed ‘Catalysing change for equity and social justice in Health’ drew experts in health and trade unions. While it remains a challenge for individual organisations to be heard globally, health…

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Health Communicators Forum Launches Health Reporting Media Awards

Healthtimes

In a bid to award journalists and encourage them to report better on health the Health Communicator Forum of Zimbabwe with backing from HIFC will honour the best health journalists in the country. By Staff Reporter During the awards journalists will be judged on best Covid 19 coverage and Best HIV/AIDS coverage amongst other categories. Speaking to Health times, the HCF Chairperson, Anna Miti said the awards are important as health journalists have been working really hard to keep reporting health in a very difficult environment fraught with misinformation and…

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Cell Biotech Brings Precision Medicine To Zimbabwe’s Doorstep

Healthtimes

Precision medicine, which is also frequently referred to as “personalised medicine,” is a rapidly expanding area of medicine that focuses on finding efficient ways to treat patients based on their genetic, environmental, and lifestyle characteristics. Precision medicine is therefore a place where science meets healthcare, thus ensuring quality care for every patient. While precision medicine continues to grow in the developed world, it has remained absent in the developing world, with Zimbabwe being no exception. Contrary to traditional medicine, which is still practiced in developing countries and some parts of…

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Ezra Foundation donates poultry project to Nyamweda School

Healthtimes

HARARE – Students at Nyamweda Primary School are now proud owners of a chicken run and over 100 chickens donated by the Ezra Foundation. By Staff Reporter Ms Melonia Munemo, founder of the Ezra Foundation, said the project is aimed at improving the livelihoods and food security of students by creating income-generating opportunities and capacity-building. The intention is to get students in rural arears to rear poultry on a semi-intensive scale so that they are able to earn some money and also supplement their dietary requirements, ultimately elevating their living…

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Unsafe Abortion – The Hidden Health Crisis

Healthtimes

By Dr M Murwira In the early years of my medical career, it was always exciting to start a new role in the various medical specialties at a Central Hospital. As such, I was looking forward to the experience of working in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department. However, my first Gynecology department night shift was a baptism of fire. In the emergency ward, multiple sick women lying on stretcher beds and on the floor awaited me. It was a horrific experience to see both young and mature women crying, writhing…

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