Author: Michael Gwarisa

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

EU Implores Zimbabwe To Hold Peaceful Elections

Michael Gwarisa

THE European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe His Excellency  Jobst von Kirchmann says the upcoming harmonized elections will be a great opportunity to accelerate progress in this process and to trigger more positive changes for the country. By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is set to hold harmonized elections in August this year even though the President is yet to proclaim the actual date for the election. Speaking at the European Union Day Commemorations in Harare, Ambassador Kirchmann said  the fate of Zimbabwe’s is in the hands of Zimbabweans. I would like to…

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Shacking Off GBV: Zimbabwe’s Spotlight Initiative hosts Zumba Session to raise awareness on GBV

Michael Gwarisa

THE Spotlight Initiative in Zimbabwe on Saturday, May 13, 2023 hosted a #ShakeOffGBV Zumba Session to remind communities of the harm Gender Based Violence (GBV) poses in as far as blocking women and girls from realizing their full potential. By Michael Gwarisa According to the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, about one in three women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, and about one in four women have experienced sexual violence, since the age of 15. With elections approaching, fears are that more women and girls could…

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Curbing the alarming rates of maternal and newborn deaths: UNFPA and partners call for urgent action to invest in midwifery

Michael Gwarisa

Every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth; every 16 minutes, a baby is stillborn – most of these deaths are preventable with access to skilled midwives. At the 5th Global Midwifery Symposium from 7 to 8 May 2023, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), and over 20 global partners from civil society, academia, the private sector, professional bodies, and donors highlighted the critical role midwives play in ending preventable maternal…

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Oral sex triggers wave of rare mouth and throat cancers – Latest study

Michael Gwarisa

Over the past two decades, there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer in the west, to the extent that some have called it an epidemic. This has been due to a large rise in a specific type of throat cancer called oropharyngeal cancer (the area of the tonsils and back of the throat). The main cause of this cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV), which are also the main cause of cancer of the cervix. Oropharyngeal cancer has now become more common than cervical cancer in the US…

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SHOCKING: PSMAS Loses US$60 Million In Contributors Funds To In-house Corruption

Michael Gwarisa

FINDINGS from a Premier Service Medical Society (PSMAS) audit have revealed gross embezzlement and mismanagement of contributors’ funds by the company’s top management, the board, health service providers and the disorganization’s affiliates. By Michael Gwarisa In 2022, the registrar of Medical Aid Societies ordered a forensic audit into PSMAS, to find out if the medical aid society was not abusing funds by engaging in non-core business. Cases in point include investment in micro-finance, buying and selling of gold, extending society beyond the borders, and creating additional institutions that draw funds…

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Remunerate Health Workers Well and STOP The Brain Drain Warns CWGH

Michael Gwarisa

THE Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) has issued a strong statement regarding the plight of healthcare workers in their International Workers Day solidarity message. By Michael Gwarisa CWGH Executive Director, Mr Itai Rusike said the current brain drain that has hit the healthcare sector was as a result of the deplorable living and working conditions the workers are exposed to. As the World celebrates the Workers’ Day today, the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) calls upon the government to remunerate the health workers well and improve their working…

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Zimbabwe records more than 95% measles vaccination coverage in Apostolic sects

Michael Gwarisa

FOLLOWING a measles outbreak that spread throughout the country in 2022, killing and infecting mainly unvaccinated children from apostolic sects in Zimbabwe, the country has witnessed an increase in coverage for measles vaccination in apostolic groups. By Michael Gwarisa The measles outbreak was first recorded in Mutasa District in Manicaland Province where several unvaccinated children from the Marange Apostolic sect, a highly vaccine hesitant group, succumbed to Measles before spreading to some parts of Mashonaland and Midlands provinces. According to data from Amnesty International Zimbabwe, 750 children below the age…

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11 Budiriro Residents Contract Cholera after Drinking Water from Contaminated Well

Michael Gwarisa

THE Harare City Health Department has activated emergency Cholera response systems in the midst of an unfolding Cholera situation which has seen three confirmed, and 11 suspected cholera cases being recorded over the past five days in Budiriro 1. By Michael Gwarisa The 11 suspected cases and the confirmed three, all emanate from one area in Budiriro 1 where residents get water from an unprotected water source. The new development raises fears of a repeat of the 2008 and 2018 Cholera outbreak that killed and infected several thousands of people.…

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The Big Catch Up: Zimbabwe Launches Integrated Vaccination Drive To Cover Lost Ground

Michael Gwarisa

IN a move that is set to catapult Zimbabwe’s vaccination coverage to dizzy heights, the country has already started implementing an integrated vaccination drive in communities mainly prioritizing  Human papillomavirus vaccines (HPV), COVID-19, Tetanus and Diphtheria (DT). By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe’s integrated vaccination drive is in line with the “The Big Catch-up”, a targeted global effort to boost vaccination among children following declines driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign is being led by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates…

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Global Fund Allocates US$63 million To Fight Malaria In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

The Global Fund currently has three active investments in Zimbabwe, including one malaria grant of up to US$63 million. By Michael Gwarisa This funding is allocated for 2021-2023 and supports Zimbabwe’s continued progress toward ending the three diseases as public health threats. The other two grants comprise one HIV grant of up to US$449 million and a tuberculosis (TB) grant of up to US$26 million. According to Global Fund, malaria mortality in Zimbabwe has fallen by 75 percent and malaria incidence by 84 percent over the past two decades. Regarding…

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