Michael Gwarisa |

UNFPA Urges Zim To Scale Up Fight Against Teen Pregnancies

March 2, 2020March 2, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

VISITING United Nations Population Fund East and Southern Africa (UNFPA-ESARO) regional Director, Dr Julitta Onabanjo has applauded Zimbabwe’s health institutions for successfully integrating sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services a move she says would go a long in way in responding to the unfinished business regarding access to quality health services. By Michael Gwarisa Dr Obananjo came into the country last week for the 6th edition of the Africaan Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) summit and she also took time to tour health facilities in Bulawayo and Matebelalnd province. Speaking to…

Three Reasons Why The Self-Quarantine Model Won’t Work In Zimbabwe

February 29, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

THE death toll from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has now reached alarming proportions forcing the World Health Orgnasation (WHO) to escalate the of the flue like bug to “Very High” a move that could soon see WHO declaring the disease as a pandemic. By Michael Gwarisa The WHO said it was too early to call the outbreak a pandemic but countries should be “in a phase of preparedness.” A pandemic is when an infectious disease spreads easily from person to person in many parts of the world. To date, the Covic-19…

Citizen Journalism As A Tool For Advancing Nutrition Awareness At Grassroots

February 27, 2020February 27, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE is currently making positive strides towards addressing the malnutrition burden at the back of rigorous and extensive nutrition interventions by government, civil society and funding partners. Healthy eating and nutrition has also been identified as a platform through which countries can attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By Michael Gwarisa recently in Headlands, Mazowe According to the Zimbabwe 2018 Nutrition Survey report launched by the Food and Nutrition Council, the national rate of child stunting, a manifestation of chronic malnutrition, is 26.2 per cent in Zimbabwe, which means nearly one…

Open Letter To Minister Obadiah Moyo: Time To Get Serious About Coronavirus

February 26, 2020February 26, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

HONORABLE Minister of Health, Dr Obadiah Moyo. It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter to your esteemed office in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) which has wreaked havoc in China and other parts of the world. Already, more than 2300 lives have been lost in China alone while other deaths have also been recorded in other parts of the world. It is also worrying that the virus is slowly finding its way into Africa. Egypt recorded its first case last week while Algeria have also…

#BREAKING: Second Positive Coronavirus Case Recorded On African Soil

February 26, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

THE Coronavirus plague which has killed not less than 2000 people in China and several others outside China is gradually penetrating African soil as Algeria records its first case a week after Egypt had its first positive case. By Michael Gwarisa The Algerian Ministry of Health Shamsuddin Shitor confirmed on Tuesday the first case of coronavirus in the country, an Italian man who arrived on February 17. The Minister of Health Health said on state TV that the authorities were able to detect this case due to the vigilance system…

Empowered communities in Harare fighting cholera and typhoid

February 26, 2020February 26, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

IN Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, recurring outbreaks of cholera and typhoid fever are a pressing health concern. In many of the city’s suburbs, public water supply is unreliable, and leaking sewage pipes, pit latrines, and poor waste management contaminate the groundwater. Using innovative borehole technology and empowering communities to manage their own water points, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has developed a highly effective environmental health toolkit. A small, dimly lit entrance leads into the dozen rundown apartment blocks of Mbare flats in southern Harare. Satellite dishes and laundry lines clutter the…

Zim Faces Surgical Masks Shortage…As Panic Over Coronavirus Grows

February 24, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE could soon be facing an acute shortage of surgical masks and other consumables amidst indications of panic buying by Chinese nationals as they try to boost stocks in their home country in the face of the ravaging Coronavirus (COVID-19). By Michael Gwarisa China already has 150 new confirmed coronavirus deaths according to the National Health Commission, pushing the death toll nationwide to 2,592. Demand for surgical masks has been high in China since the plague was reported late December 2019, a situation which has seen diaspora Chinese stockpiling surgical…

USAID Nutrition and Agric Programs Boost Household Food Security In Zim

February 21, 2020February 21, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

THE United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) nutrition and resilience interventions have contributed significantly to household food sufficiency at a grassroots level in rural Zimbabwe. By Michael Gwarisa To date, USAIDS has assisted more than 350,000 Zimbabwean small holder farmers to increase their yields, incomes, food security and self-reliance. Speaking at the USAID roundtable discussion which ran under the theme, “Agricultural-led Growth, Nutrition and Resilience,” United States Envoy to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Brian Nicholas said the aim of their programs was to see households running sustainable income and food generating…

Local NGO on Massive Campaign to Recruit Adolescent Nutrition Champions

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

RURAL Enterprise Trust of Zimbabwe (RETZ) has embarked on a rigorous drive to recruit nutrition champions in both single sex and mixed schools around the country as a means of strengthening their voice and participation in nutrition advocacy. By Michael Gwarisa This initiative which is a youth led project is set to support adolescents to participate in a campaign dubbed, “Kick Out Stunting Campaign.” In Harare, Churchill Boys High school in which has a total of 1600 students is amongst one of the first beneficiaries from the project which is…

SAP, Converge Solutions co-innovation project delivers powerful healthcare solution for African hospitals

February 19, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

COMPLEX business models, combined with immense pressure to deliver great patient experiences and outcomes, has African healthcare providers turning to technology to improve their operational efficiency and automate back-office operations. This task is now far less daunting with the launch of a new technology platform designed by Converge Solutions and the SAP Co-Innovation Lab specifically for the African healthcare market. Healthcare providers are under increasing pressure to deliver improved patient experiences and streamline their operations with mounting financial constraints,” says Johann Joubert, CEO at Converge Solutions. “The answer to affordable,…