Author: Michael Gwarisa

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

Zim Gvt Approves Human-Wildlife Conflict Relief Fund For Victims

Michael Gwarisa

INFORMATION, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa has announced the approval of a Human-Wildlife Conflict Fund for victims to compensate families and survivors of human wildlife conflict. By Michael Gwarisa The fund will also be extended to include preventative measures such as providing water in the game parks and enhancing grazing pastures as well as look at associated impacts such as livestock loss and control of wildlife and livestock movements to curtail the spread of diseases such as foot and mouth. Sources of funding will also include Treasury,…

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Climate Actions need to be Child-Centered

Michael Gwarisa

Ahead of the COP27, Government of Zimbabwe and UNICEF hosted a high-level dialogue to take stock of the climate change challenges and concluded with a strong call for children to be at the heart of climate change strategies and actions. Harare, 31 October 2022 – Ahead of the (27th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC) COP27, which will be held from 6 to 18 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt), the Ministry of Environment, Tourism, Climate & Hospitality Industry and UNICEF…

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Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health On Course To Fully Deploy Paperless System By December 2023

Michael Gwarisa

Impilo, an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system which is currently being rolled out in Zimbabwe’s health facilities, is set to improve efficiency in the health sector through enhancing data collection, management, patients’  care as well as improving communication between health practitioners and patients. By Michael Gwarisa Briefing Journalists in Kadoma during a Results Based Financing (RBF) model for healthcare media sensitization meeting, Dr Robert Gongora, the National EHR Coordinator in the Ministry of Health and Child Care said their priority as is to accelerate the rollout/coverage and usage of electronic…

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Japan donates a PCR GeneXpert Machine to Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health

Michael Gwarisa

The Ambassador of Japan to Zimbabwe, His Excellency Mr. Satoshi Tanaka, today handed over a PCR GeneXpert Machine to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC). The handover is a key milestone in a project managed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). The Ambassador cited this as one of many projects in which the Government of Japan is cooperating with the Government of Zimbabwe. The project, funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNOPS, works to increase accessibility to basic emergency medical services in…

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Soldiers are HIV Key Populations says Gvt

Michael Gwarisa

THE Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Director Public Health, Group Captain, Dr Munyaradzi Dobbie says Soldiers and other Uniformed Forces are at high risk of getting HIV due to the nature of their job which requires them to move from one place to another at any given time. By Michael Gwarisa Dr Dobbie made this call during a Science Day that was hosted by the Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) in Harare this week. According to Dr Dobbie, Key populations were not a homogenous group thus there was need…

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Exodus of Nursing Tutors Leaves Zim’s healthcare in Quandary

Michael Gwarisa

DEPARTURE of skilled nurses and tutors from the country’s health training institutions as well as in health facilities, is set to hit Zimbabwe’s healthcare hard in the few years to come, a top Nursing Association official has said. By Michael Gwarisa Speaking during a Medicine Sans Frontieres (MSF) Scientific Day in Harare, Zimbabwe Nursing Association (ZINA) Secretary General, Mr Enock Dongo said training facilities will soon be producing half backed nurses due to shortage of skilled tutors. When we look at the economic situation, we find that there are so…

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Number of babies dying at birth increase in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

Women not booking at ANC facilities early leading to complications Exodus of healthcare staff leads to poor quality of care for pregnant women THE number of babies dying during birth, moments before birth or a few weeks before and after being born has been going up over the past five years in Zimbabwe largely due to a myriad of factors ranging from failure by pregnant women to book at the ANC on time, infection of babies before, during and after birth as well as declining quality of care in health…

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MSF Holds Regional Scientific Day in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

THE Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hosted a half-day regional scientific day in Harare, Zimbabwe where various scientific innovations and researches from MSF’s field programs around the world were presented. By Michael Gwarisa The event was a hybrid setup where delegates attended both virtually and physically in Harare. Giving his Keynote address, Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Group Captain, Dr. Munyaradzi Dobbie, Chief Director Public Health applauded MSF’s interventions in Zimbabwe’s healthcare sector. As government, we are appreciative of MSF’s continued support to Zimbabwe and…

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Facing The Elephant In The Room: How Disinformation Is Standing In The Way Of Tobacco Harm Reduction

Michael Gwarisa

The American Centre for Disease Control (CDC) defines harm reduction as any behaviour or strategy that helps reduce risk or harm to yourself or others. For almost every societal problem, there are available harm reduction options. For example, to reduce the risk of contracting or transmitting HIV, one needs to practice safer sex or safer drug use. By Michael Gwarisa Since the year 2006, there has been exponential expansion of interest in Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) after the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) became the first American scientific…

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Iranian Doctors In Zimbabwe For Medical Exchange Visit

Michael Gwarisa

A delegation of 12 Iranian specialists from various medical disciplines is in the country for an exchange visit, as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation in the health and medical field between the two countries. By Michael Gwarisa The doctors will be touring health facilities in Bulawayo starting tomorrow and will be in the country for the next two weeks where they will exchange experiences with medical doctors in Zimbabwe’s health institutions. Speaking at the courtesy call on the Office of the Vice President by the 12 member delegation at…

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