Author: Michael Gwarisa

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

UNICEF launches communication campaign on health, highlighting frontline health workers

Michael Gwarisa

Village health workers and nurses at primary health facilities are crucial in ensuring access to basic health services in Zimbabwe. To highlight their work, UNICEF is launching a “Champions of Health” communication campaign through different communication channels. The campaign will coincide with the upcoming World Water Day later this month, as well as World Health Day and the Immunization Week in April.  By Staff Reporter  Zimbabwe has made some notable progress in providing access to basic health services. This progress was primarily made possible by Zimbabwe’s adoption of the Primary…

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WHO Lists Zimbabwe Among 55 Countries With Highest Health Workforce Shortages

Michael Gwarisa

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released an updated WHO health workforce support and safeguards list 2023, identifying 55 countries including Zimbabwe, as vulnerable for availability of health workers required to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal target for universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030. By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe which has over the past few years lost thousands of skilled health personal to international migration. However, WHO said even though the latest WHO health workforce support and safeguard list 2023 does not prohibit international recruitment, there should be government-to-government health…

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Zimbabwe Records 31 Suspected Cholera Cases From Four Provinces In 24 Hours

Michael Gwarisa

AS the Southern African region continues  to record new Cholera cases, Zimbabwe has since recorded 31 new suspected Cholera cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of suspected cases to 98, the Ministry of Health has confirmed. By Michael Gwarisa A March 15, 2023 Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Cholera Situation Report indicated that 31 new cholera suspected cases and 3 laboratory confirmed cases were reported. These were reported from Centenary (15), Beitbridge (11), Chegutu (4) and Chivi (1). 14 of the suspected cases and…

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JHWO Rural Clinic Accelerates Identification of Missed TB cases in Vungu

Michael Gwarisa

Jackson Sibanda a small scale artisanal miner from Vungu, Village 6 has just been screened for Tuberculosis (TB) at Riversdale Clinic in Vungu, 40 Kilometers away from Gweru. Due to the nature of his job which requires him to move from one place to another in search of the gold, he has little time on his hands and rarely visits a health facility whenever he falls ill. By Michael Gwarisa in Vungu However, his friend recently tested positive for TB and he fears he might have contracted it since they…

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Children With Disabilities Struggle To Grasp Comprehensive Sexuality Education- UNESCO Study

Michael Gwarisa

Delivering Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) to children with disabilities remains a challenge due to a myriad of barriers ranging from stigma attached to sexuality of young people with disabilities, a UNESCO report has gathered. By Michael Gwarisa The 2020 report was conducted in five countries in East and Southern African Region namely Zimbabwe, Zambai, Malawi, Tanzania, Eswathini and Swaziland. The study revealed that children with visual impairments were the most affected largely due to challenges related to translating material into brail. Presenting on the 2020 Study Findings on the Status…

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Over 900,000 Zim Youths Aged 16-34 Don’t Have National IDs

Michael Gwarisa

AN estimated 21.1 percent ,which translates to 951,994.653 of youths aged 16 to 34 from the 4,511,823 that were recorded during the 2022 population and housing census in Zimbabwe, do not have National Identity Documents (IDs), By Michael Gwarisa This data emerged from findings presented during the launch of the latest Vital Statics report Volume 1 by the Zimbabwe Statistical Agency (Zimstat). The report aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the civil registration and vital statistics situation in Zimbabwe based on available data from the 2022 Population and Housing…

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Zimbabwe women bear the brunt of Ageing & HIV

Michael Gwarisa

Jennifer Julliet Mugonda (51) stays in Patchway, a farming community in Kadoma, Mashonaland West province. She is married and has four children. In 2009, she tested positive for HIV. A year later she was diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB) and got initiated on treatment. By Michael Gwarisa Since 2009, Jennifer has been battling a number of HIV related opportunistic infections including Cervical Cancer. In her own words, Jennifer says she feels like the walking dead as she has failed to get cancer treatment and is now faced with the Sisyphean task…

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Adapt or Perish: AHAIC Conference Spotlights Climate Change and solutions to future public health threats in Africa

Michael Gwarisa

“We know what it takes to stop the next outbreak from becoming a pandemic,” said Rwanda Health Minister, Dr Sabin Nzanzimana at the Second Edition of the Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) 2023 currently underway in Kigali, Rwanda. By Michael Gwarisa in Kigali, Rwanda The biennial conference is running from March 5 to March 8, 2023 under the theme, “Resilient Health Systems for Africa: Re-envisioning the Future Now,” and is being jointly convened by Amref Health Africa, Ministry of Health Rwanda, African Union and Africa Centres for Disease Control…

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#BREAKING: Zim Pharmacies and Hospitals ordered to immediately remove Tetracycline Eye Ointment from shelves

Michael Gwarisa

THE Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) has ordered all licensed Pharmaceutical Wholesalers, Pharmacies, Public and Private Clinics, and Hospitals to quarantine Tetracycline Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Ointment after quality related issues were detected. By Michael Gwarisa MCAZ Chief Regulatory Officer in the Licensing and Enforcement Division, Mrs Caroline Samatanga, said the product alert report indicated that a range of quality issues were detected upon physical examination of random samples of the following product batches: AF20011, AF21160, AF21161, AF22031, AF22032, AF22093, AF22100, AF22101, AF22107, AF20097, AF22021, AF22105, AF20060A, AF22025, AF22026 & AF22061.…

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