Author: Kuda Pembere

Zim Commissions Modern Incinerator to Manage Medical Waste and Fight Climate Change

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere At a time when medical waste is being cited as one of the major contributors to climate change, Zimbabwe’s Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora and Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Neale Richmond, commissioned a state-of-the-art incinerator at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. The incinerator was installed by BoltGas with funding from the Global Fund. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) served as the implementing partner for the Ministry of Health and Child Care. Speaking after the commissioning of…

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Ireland Reaffirms Commitment to Development Aid Amid Global Cuts

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere At a time when the world is witnessing a decline in development aid, the Republic of Ireland has reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining international support. This assurance follows a trend that began in US President Donald Trump’s administration, which saw America, once the largest donor, cut its spending on international development initiatives. Several other countries followed suit. Speaking at the commissioning of a state-of-the-art incinerator at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital on Monday, Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Neale Richmond, emphasized…

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Number of Licensed Cannabis Producers Sharply Drops from 60 to Five

Kuda Pembere

By Kudakwashe Pembere The number of licensed producers of cannabis for medicinal and scientific use in Zimbabwe has shrunk from 60 to about 10, following the renewal of license fees. The decline follows several failed attempts at license arbitrage, a Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) top official said on Tuesday. Since the issuance of the first license in 2019, many holders have struggled to meet renewal requirements due to some of the conditions and challenges such as securing land for cultivation. License arbitrage refers to the practice of leveraging…

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Children in Africa Face Growing Threat from Drug-Resistant Infections, New Global Study Warns

Kuda Pembere
AMR

By Staff Reporter A sobering new study unveiled Sunday at ESCMID Global 2025 revealed that over 3 million children worldwide died in 2022 due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR)-related infections with nearly 660,000 of those deaths occurring in Africa alone. The findings, presented by researchers from the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and global partners, highlight the devastating impact of AMR on the world’s youngest and most vulnerable, placing Africa firmly among the hardest-hit regions. Children in Africa are bearing the brunt of this growing crisis,” said Professor Joseph Harwell, Senior…

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SAYWHAT Trains 40 Youth-led Organizations On Advocacy and Governance

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Forty youth-led organizations from across Zimbabwe have been in Harare since Tuesday, participating in training on advocacy, governance, and monitoring and evaluation. The training, organized by SAYWHAT, was initiated in response to the realization that many youth organizations were not reaching their full potential due to a lack of adequate skills. Speaking at the closing ceremony on Friday, Mr. Osward Mudhunguyo, Director of Youth Empowerment in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, said the training demonstrated a strong commitment to empowering youth to contribute…

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Zim in top five countries with high maternal mortality rates in SADC

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe is among the top five countries in the SADC region with the highest maternal mortality rates (MMR), HealthTimes has learned. According to data from a joint report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank Group, and the United Nations Population Division, Zimbabwe ranked fourth. The report, titled Trends in Maternal Mortality Estimates 2000 to 2023, revealed that Zimbabwe’s maternal mortality rate dropped from 368 per 100,000 live births in 2022 to 358 per…

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Zimbabwe Secures US$12M ARVs Amid Funding Cuts – Shipment Arrives in June

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere, recently in Chinhoyi With concerns mounting over potential shortages of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) following the United States Government’s funding cuts, Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora has reassured Zimbabweans that there will be no disruptions in supply. He confirmed that the government has already procured ARVs worth US$12 million, expected to arrive by the end of June. Speaking at a National AIDS Council (NAC) journalists’ workshop in Chinhoyi on Friday, Minister Mombeshora emphasized that the current stock would last until June, with additional procurement ensuring availability…

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Zimbabwe Seeks New Partnerships to Strengthen Clinical Research Amid Declining Global Aid

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe is pursuing new partnerships to bolster clinical research in the country as global development assistance continues to decline. Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, represented by Chief Director of Curative Services Dr. Maxwell Hove, highlighted this initiative on Wednesday while officiating an Africa Clinical Research Network (ACRN) meeting. His remarks come as US Goverment cuts funding to African and Asian countries, with South Africa being the latest to be affected. “As global development assistance for health decreases, the Zimbabwean government is increasingly investing in…

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National Health Insurance Draft Bill Set for Parliamentary Debate by June

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabweans may have to wait longer for the long-awaited National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, as its draft bill is now expected to be presented to Parliament in June. With fewer than 10% of Zimbabweans covered by medical insurance, the Health Ministry has debated the NHI for decades without implementation. In March last year, Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora indicated that the NHI would be introduced in July. By May, he said it would be tabled before Parliament that same July. Reviving this commitment, the…

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Zim’s Health Promotion Officers to Develop Key Data Indicators for DHIS2 Integration

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere in Kadoma Health promotion officers have welcomed an initiative to develop their own key data indicators for integration into Zimbabwe’s District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2), a move aimed at making their contributions more visible and measurable. The Health Promotion Unit (HPU) in the Ministry of Health and Child Care began developing these indicators on Wednesday, with support from Cordaid through World Bank funding. This initiative seeks to address a long-standing issue where the impact of health promotion officers’ work is often attributed to other professions. Established…

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