Category: BREAKING NEWS

Matthew Rusike Marathon Seeks to Raise $10K on Oct 19

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter Matthew Rusike Children’s Home (MRCH) is set to host a fundraising marathon dubbed Run for a Child Half Marathon on October 19 at Old Georgians Sports Club in Harare. The Run for a Child Half Marathon event aims to raise US$10 000 to be channeled towards the essential needs of the children under MRCH care and the expansion of the educational facilities. The marathon that also seeks to create awareness of the MRCH charity work will feature three race categories, 21km that will start at 6:00 AM,…

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Zimbabwe Excels in Global Health Security Assessment on Immunization, Surveillance, Labs, and Emergency Response

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe received a fifty-four percent score in the second Joint External Evaluation (JEE), performing strongly in laboratory systems, surveillance, emergency response, and immunization indicators. This was revealed by Dr. Mohammed Ali Mohammed, the lead of the visiting JEE team, which spent five days in the country. So in summary you can see that thirty out of fifty-six indicators, which is fifty-four percent, attained level three and above, which indicates developed capacity,” he said. “So for this one we can commend Zimbabwe that at least we have attained…

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Zimbabwe Moves to Finalize National Health Insurance Bill Ahead of Parliament

Kuda Pembere
Minister of Health Dr. Douglas Mombeshora shares a light moment with Dr. Ron Mhizha of the Eye Institute and Chrispen Dzingirai of Old Mutual Zimbabwe during the launch of free cataract eye clinics.

By Kudakwashe Pembere Anticipating the enactment of the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme by year-end, efforts to finalize the NHI Bill are on course, with Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora confirming it will be sent to Parliament this month. After decades of consultation and research, Zimbabwe’s proposed NHI scheme is now closer to fruition. Dr. Mombeshora told a Health Partners Coordination meeting on Friday that the much-awaited scheme will help pool resources for the health sector. We meet at a time when we are driving ambitious reforms…

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62,500 Zimbabweans Blind from Cataracts

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is grappling with a growing eye health crisis, with cataracts emerging as the leading cause of preventable blindness in the country. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) data, an estimated 125,000 people, about one percent of the population, are blind, and of these, 62,500 cases are caused by cataracts alone. In response to this burden, Old Mutual Zimbabwe, in partnership with the Eye Institute, has launched a series of free eye clinics across the country targeting over 300 cataract surgeries this year. The initiative builds on…

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Cimas Launches Health Media Awards to Mark 80th Anniversary

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Cimas Health Group has launched the Cimas@80 Media Awards to celebrate its 80th anniversary and honour the critical role journalists play in shaping a healthier Zimbabwean society. Speaking at the launch in Harare, Cimas Chief Executive Officer Mr. Vulindlela Ndlovu said the awards, which run in partnership with the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ), are aimed at recognising excellence in health journalism while encouraging fact-based and impactful reporting. We value the media not just as a communication channel but as a strategic partner in driving healthcare and…

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South African court rules that men can take wife’s surname

Healthtimes

South Africa’s highest court has ruled that husbands can take the surname of their wives, overturning a law that barred them from doing so. In a victory for two couples who brought the case, the Constitutional Court ruled that the law amounted to gender-based discrimination. Henry van der Merwe was denied the right to take the surname of his wife Jana Jordaan, while Andreas Nicolas Bornman could not hyphenate his surname to include Donnelly, the surname of his wife, Jess Donnelly-Bornman, the public broadcaster, SABC, reports. Parliament will now have…

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Education Minister Vows Crackdown on Illegal Schools

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon. Torerai Moyo, has issued a stern warning to operators of unregistered schools, giving them until December 31, 2025, to regularise their operations or face closure come January 2026. The Minister’s declaration came in response to a question in Parliament on Wednesday from Hon. Mashavave, who raised concerns over the unchecked “mushrooming” of private schools and colleges across the country and the lack of oversight of their activities. Minister Moyo acknowledged the serious challenge, stating, “We have a challenge of…

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Another Devastating Blow to HIV Funding as US Congress Advances $2 Billion in Cuts

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The future of the United States’ HIV response hangs in the balance after the House Appropriations Committee advanced a spending bill that would slash nearly $2 billion from federal HIV programs. Advocates and public health leaders are warning that if enacted, the cuts could dismantle decades of progress in the fight against HIV and put millions of lives at risk. The proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Labor-HHS appropriations bill eliminates all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HIV prevention funding, amounting to roughly $1 billion. It also…

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Childhood Obesity Emerging as a Global Public Health Crisis

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  Childhood obesity is rapidly becoming one of the most pressing public health challenges worldwide, with millions of children now overweight or obese, according to a new global nutrition report. The report reveals that between 1990 and 2022, the number of children living with obesity soared from 31 million to 58 million, while the number of overweight children rose from 61 million to 104 million. Together, this means more than 160 million children globally are either overweight or obese, a staggering rise that health experts warn poses serious…

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Africa Lags Behind in Mental Health Spending, Allocating Less Than 10 Cents Per Person

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere At a time when African Governments are seized with the scourge of drug and substance misuse, Zimbabwe included, they are spending less than US$0.10 per capita on mental health, compared to more than US$50 in other regions of the world. Government expenditure per capita refers to the total government spending divided by the total population, representing the average amount of public money spent per person in a country. This stark underinvestment was highlighted in the World Mental Health Atlas 2024, released earlier this month by the World…

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