Author: Kuda Pembere

Health Minister To Present National Health Insurance Bill in parliament in July

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) is preparing to table the much anticipated National Health Insurance Bill in Parliament come July this year, HealthTimes has learnt. While in a previous interview with this publication, the Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora had promised the NHI would be rolled out by July this year, Zimbabweans may have to wait a bit longer as this is the time the NHI bill to govern the scheme’s operationalization may be presented to Parliament. So these are proposals…

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Over 750 young doctors benefit from Merck Foundation’s Nationwide Diabetes and Hypertension Blue Point program

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere With African countries having fewer specialist doctors in hypertension, cardiology and endocrinology, the partnership between Africa’s first ladies, the Ministries of Health, medical societies as well as the academia and the Merck Foundation under the “Nationwide Diabetes and Hypertension Blue Point program” banner have given over 750 scholarships to young doctors. The young doctors will be practicing specialties namely Hypertension, Cardiology, Diabetes and Endocrinology. This Merck Foundation said this in a statement to commemorate World Hypertension Day. “At Merck Foundation we mark “World Hypertension Day” by improving…

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Local organization supports children with neurological conditions

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere A group of youths from one of Harare’s oldest suburbs Highfields teaming up to start an organization supporting children living with neurological conditions says much can be done to allieviate the plight of caregivers and their children with intellectual and developmental disorders. The Charity Project was founded by Dr Mark Chunga, working with Ms Wadzanai Majuru, the operations manager; Ms Natasha Machingura, the programs manager and Mr Munyaradzi Edmore Kashiri, the finance manager. The organization has presence in Zimbabwe South Africa and Botswana. The organization birthed after…

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Pandemic Agreement Stands On Shaky Ground: AHF

Kuda Pembere

By Kudakwashe Pembere With just about a fortnight to conclude the discussions of the Pandemic Agreement to help World Health Organization (WHO) member states in strengthening their healthcare systems, the AIDS HealthCare Foundaiton (AHF) is of the notion there are several issues that need to be ironed out. Learning from the disparities which obtained during the COVID-19 pandemic where vaccines were unevenly distributed across the globe, the AHF fears a dejavu should the Pandemic Agreement turn the blind eye to that. The second issue is the issue of the current…

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Zimbabwe’s Ministry Rolls Out DNA Screening To Find Girls Who Missed HPV Vaccination Due To COVID-19 Disruptions

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere When the world locked down due to COVID-19 disruptions in 202o, most health interventions were put on hold. Immunization and vaccination activities were the most affected. This has resulted the rising incidence of vaccine preventable diseases in most low income countries. In Zimbabwe, most girls aged 10 to 14, the eligible group for the Human Papiloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, missed the opportunity to get their doses due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. According to data, Zimbabwe shed 24 percent of its Human Papillomavirus (HPV) coverage which was…

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Parirenyatwa’s Kangaroo Mother care halves neonatal mortality in a month

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Immediate Kangaroo Mother Care (IKMC) has the ability of halving neonatal mortality as evidenced at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital’s Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospital over the past month. Speaking to journalists during a tour of the IKMC unit, specialist neonatologist Dr Alexander Stevenson explained that preterm babies are instantly placed on the mother’s chest before the umbilical cord is cut. So, here’s my Christian and I have my Christian’s consent to share her story, because in fact we can tell the whole story in just those microcosms here.…

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WASH critical for better infection prevention and control in Maternal and Child Health: Dr Hove

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programmes need to be strengthened in maternal and child health as well as sexual reproductive health alongside general patient care for improved infection prevention and control (IPC) in healthcare facilities to reduce healthcare associated infections, Harare Provincial Medical Director Dr Innocent Hove said Friday. He said this while officiating the International hand hygiene day commemorations held at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. “Programme areas such as WASH in Maternal and Child Health, Sexual Reproductive Health and general patient care areas require strengthening to…

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Over 30 fake Parirenyatwa Hospital workers nabbed

Kuda Pembere

By Staff Reporter Following the recent apprehension of three fake doctors at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, the health institution has acknowledged the proliferation and subsequent nabbing of individuals posing as Hospital workers. More than 30 health personnel masquerading as employees at the central hospital have been rooted out by their security department since January 2023. The Hospital with a staff complement of around 4000 as well as having about 400 doctors of all levels, says there were criminals who pretended to be employees and nursing tutors. “Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals…

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MCAZ to regulate In Vitro Diagnostics

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) intends to introduce regulations governing the registration and use of in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) in the country. This follows concerns and reports that there is a proliferation of substandard and counterfeit IVDs in the country. IVDs according to the World Health Organization (WHO) are tests that can detect disease, conditions and infections. In vitro simply means ‘in glass’, meaning these tests are typically conducted in test tubes and similar equipment, as opposed to in vivo tests, which are conducted in…

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‘Financial education, critical component in SRHR’

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Financial education is a vital element often overlooked in sexual reproductive health rights issues for total emancipation of adolescent girls and young women (AGYWs) in Zimbabwe, an Aflatoun International official said on Monday. Aflatoun is a non-profit organization offering social, financial and entrepreneurial education to young people globally. Supported by Education Above All Foundation and six other organizations in Zimbabwe, the organization has been in SRHR projects alongside other projects aimed at empowering youngsters with life skills and financial education. Aflatoun International Chief executive officer Roeland Monasch…

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