Author: Michael Gwarisa

Editor for HealthTimes, Zimbabwe's leading online health news publication

UNDP Facilitates Construction of Low Cost Boarding Facilities To Reduce HIV Vulnerability In Adolescent School Girls

Michael Gwarisa

Following the death of her mother, 15 year old Grace Mwamuka* now stays with her father and two minor siblings. She is from Ndima Village in Chimanimani. Throughout the year 2022, she would walk three hours to and from school daily. By Michael Gwarisa Every morning, she would wake up as early as 4:00 AM to clean the house and prepare food for her young siblings before departing for school. After school, she would rush home to clean the house and prepare dinner. This was taking a toll on her…

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20th International Inter-Ministerial Conference on South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Population and Development Kicks Off In Victoria Falls

Michael Gwarisa

The 20th International Inter-Ministerial Conference on South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Population and Development commenced today in the resort town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. By Michael Gwarisa Officiating at the event, Zimbabwe’s President Emerson Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was making progress towards meeting commitments made at the ICPD 25 in Nairobi Kenya. It is notable that females have a higher life expectancy compared to their male counterparts, while life expectancy has risen to 65 years.  Zimbabwe’s national Maternal Mortality Ratio is on a decreasing trend, from 651 per 100 000 live…

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PSH Hosts Religious Indaba On Child Marriages and Intimate Partner Violence in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

Population Solutions for Health (PSH) in collaboration with Population Services International and support from the Swedish Embassy in Partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development held a three day religious leaders dialogue in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central Province. By Michael Gwarisa Speaking to HealthTimes, PSH said the dialogue was meant to change harmful cultural norms and values that drive intimate partner valance and child marriages at community level. Child marriage is a practice that negatively affects young girls socially, culturally, economically and their health even…

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UNFPA Regional Director calls for greater investment in Population and Development issues ahead of international conference in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Director Ms. Lydia Zigomo has called for greater investment for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) agenda ahead of the 20th International Inter-Ministerial Conference on South-South Cooperation in Population and Development. By Staff Reporter Ms Zigomo is in Zimbabwe ahead of this important conference that will take place in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe from 9-10 October 2023. The Population and Development conference seeks to track progress of commitments made at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994.…

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Ama 2000 Need New HIV Communication Strategies- NAC

Michael Gwarisa

The National AIDS Council (NAC) says it can’t be business as usual regarding HIV and AIDS communication, as the landscape has drastically changed and needs new communication strategies that are cognisant of the new environment. By Michael Gwarisa The call comes in the midst of a surge in new HIV infections amongst adolescent girls and young women, a generation popularly known as Ama 2k or Ama 2000 in the Southern African countries. According to UNAIDS data, in Sub-Saharan Africa, four in five infections among 10-19 years olds are among girls.…

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#BREAKING: Dr Aspect Maunganidze Appointed New Health Ministry Perm Sec

Michael Gwarisa

Zimbabwe’s President, Emerson Mngangagwa has appointed Dr Aspect Maunganidze the new Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC). Dr Maunganidze replaces Dr Jasper Chimedza who served as the ministry’s Permanent secretary from 2022 to October, 2023. His appointment according to the Press Statement, is with immediate effect.      

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#BREAKING: South Africa Orders 16,000 Dapivirine Vaginal Rings For HIV Prevention In Women

Michael Gwarisa

 Three key organizations involved in preventing and responding to HIV in South Africa – AIDS Foundation of South Africa, Beyond Zero, and Networking HIV & AIDS Community of Southern Africa – have placed an initial order of 16,000 dapivirine vaginal rings for HIV prevention with the support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund). By Staff Reporter The pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) ring is a silicone ring that is inserted in the vagina every month and delivers long-acting, topical, and localized HIV prevention. To date,…

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Zimbabwe Hosts PrEP Communication Strategy Development Workshop

Michael Gwarisa

Various stakeholders from within the HIV continuum gathered in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central province for a four day Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) communication strategy development workshop. By Michael Gwarisa in Mazowe The workshop was hosted by the National AIDS Council (NAC), in collaboration with Jhpiego, with funding from Global Fund with the objective to design a communication instrument for the planning and coordination of demand creation interventions implemented by key stakeholders and implementing partners in at community level to motivate the uptake and sustained use of PrEP by priority audiences. The communication…

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Zimbabwe commemorates World Contraception Day with milestone achievement

Michael Gwarisa

Zimbabwe has become one of the first countries in the East and Southern Africa Region to qualify for Match Funding through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Supplies Partnership after procuring contraceptives worth $1,5 million United States Dollars from domestic resources. This is a key achievement for the country’s efforts to support access to quality assured reproductive health and quality family planning commodities. The UNFPA Supplies Partnership 2021–2030 represents a new decade of commitment to advancing family planning and maternal health and accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Launched…

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Zimbabwe’s Pharmaceutical Industry On Chokehold

Michael Gwarisa

High Compliance and regulatory risk, coupled with steep production costs, unending power cuts, and import-related costs for pharmaceutical products and raw materials, have stifled growth in the local pharmaceutical manufacturing and retail sector, Industry players have said. By Michael Gwarisa The high costs of doing business have had a ripple effect on the consumers as the cost of pharmaceutical products locally is beyond the reach of many and in some cases, has led to drug stock-outs as operators struggle to produce and procure pharmaceutical products from source markets. Speaking at…

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