Category: BREAKING NEWS

Rehabilitation dilemma for Zim’s poor Drug and Substance Addicts

Michael Gwarisa

Zimbabwe is struggling to offer proper drug abuse rehabilitation services with majority of patients currently being admitted in psychiatric units in public health institutions which in most cases, are ill equipped to provide drug abuse rehabilitation services. By Michael Gwarisa In 2022, data from the Ministry of Health and Child Care indicated that 75 percent to 85 percent of bed occupancy in mental health institutions was due to substance use. Information gathered by this publication recently reveals that public health facilities are struggling to deal with the swelling numbers of…

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Public Health Practitioners Association of Zim launched

Kuda Pembere

THE Public Health Practitioners Association of Zimbabwe (PHPAZ) was on Friday launched following a resolution from the Public Health Symposium held last year to influence agenda setting on public health priorities in the country. By Kuda Pembere The association comprises of members from various fields such as environmental health, nutrition, law, pharmaceutical development, social science amongst other disciplines and intends to bond all stakeholders in the healthcare industry towards the common goal of improving health in the communities. One of the primary objectives of this association is to promote disease…

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UNESCO launches second phase of flagship Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future Programme across sub-Saharan Africa

Michael Gwarisa

UNESCO in collaboration with ministries of education and health from 33 Sub-Saharan African countries, is launching the second phase of the landmark Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future (O 3) Programme. As the largest school-based programme on education for health and well-being in Africa, the ambitious O3 Programme plans to equip 44 million adolescents and young people with good quality, accurate, and rights-based sexuality education, and school violence prevention programmes. The programme aims to build adolescents and young people’s agency to make healthier and informed decisions about their health and…

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Frequent Sex Increases Conception Chances In Couples Battling Infertility-Dr Mocanu

Michael Gwarisa

PROLONGED exposure to the sperm or male sex cell, reduces chances of infertility, in the process increasing a woman’s chances of conceiving, a top fertility expert has said. By Michael Gwarisa This comes amidst indications that couples mainly from Sub Saharan Africa, Zimbabwe included, are increasingly experiencing infertility challenges with global data showing that approximately 48.5 million couples globally are affected by infertility. Infertility is defined clinically as failure to conceive after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Speaking during a virtual press conference to mark World Infertility…

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CHWs boost trachoma prevention programme in Chiwundura

Healthtimes

Villagers in Chiwundura district in Midlands province have finally embraced a trachoma prevention programme after a massive awareness campaign by community health workers (CHWs) and local traditional leaders. By Caiphas Chimhete & Mandy Mathias The villagers had initially being suspicious of the government-driven programme following rumours and misinformation that trachoma prevention tablets caused serious side-effects. Trachoma is a preventable disease that affect the eyes, cause loss of vision and blindness and is most common in poor rural communities. Rumours were awash in the midlands district that the tablets caused blindness…

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Zimbabwe’s Health Sector Goes Green with Solar Powered Electronic Health Records

Michael Gwarisa

THE Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), is rolling out “Impilo,” an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system, which is meant to improve efficiency in the health sector through enhancing data collection, management, patients’ care as well as improve communication between health practitioners and patients. By Michael Gwarisa According to the Ministry of Health, they intend to have fully deployed the system in the entire healthcare sector by December 2023. The roll-out of the Impilo is being supported by key specialized systems like the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), the…

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Zimbabwe Government Scraps Mandatory Wearing of Masks…Visitors No Longer Require Proof Of Vaccination

Healthtimes

Zimbabwe has officially scrapped most of the COVID-19 mandatory measures such as mask wearing and others following an announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the disease was no longer a public health emergency of international concern. By Staff Reporter In the Statutory Instrument 102 of 2023, the Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantine Chiwenga directed a lift on the mandatory wearing of masks. Further, tourists are no longer mandated to produce COVID-19 vaccination certificates nor should they have negative PCR tests at the…

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Solar for Health Project Boosts Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Capacity In Masvingo

Michael Gwarisa

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) collaborated on the Solar for Health (S4H) initiative, which has been extremely beneficial to the National Pharmaceutical Company of Zimbabwe (Natpharm). By Michael Gwarisa Since 2017, 1045 out of the 1,600 public health institutions in Zimbabwe that are part of the S4H project—which is financed by The Global Fund—have had solar systems installed. The solar system makes sure that vital health departments, such maternity, intensive care operating rooms, pharmacy, and laboratories, always have power. In order…

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AMREF Boss Appointed UN Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Member

Michael Gwarisa

Dr Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO – Amref Health Africa has been appointed as a member of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Lead Group – a global initiative dedicated to eradicating all forms of malnutrition by 2030. The movement prioritizes nutrition action and collaboration, which includes supporting countries to implement policies and legislation that guarantees the availability of sustainable and nutritious diets for children, adolescents, mothers, and families. By Michael Gwarisa Dr Gitahi, in his role as the Kenyan representative, will join other notable global leaders in overseeing the strategic…

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AWF joins Zimbabwe and Zambia delegation for the LOZAMAP TFCA tour

Michael Gwarisa

The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) Zimbabwe joined the Zimbabwe and Zambia delegations for the tour of the Lower Zambezi Mana Pools Transfrontier Conservation Area (LOZAMAP TFCA), where AWF, in partnership with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, is implementing various conservation projects. By Staff Reporter The tour came just after the signing ceremony of the LOZAMAP TFCA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by Zimbabwe’s Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry, Honorable Nqobizita Mangaliso Ndlovu, and the Zambian Minister of Tourism, Honorable Rodney Sikumba, at a high-level event held…

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