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Trading the spanner for Universal Health Coverage…The meteoric rise of Itai Rusike into public health stardom

August 13, 2022August 13, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

To many, he is just an ordinary human being and a health activist with a zeal for health issues. Some call him Wadyegora, a name synonymous with his Moyo or heart totem. Born during the liberation struggle in a place of rich mixed soils in Saruwe or Selous, Itai Josh Rusike’s or Mukoma Josh’s as he is known by many, knew at a tender age that he was destined for greatness on this earth. Over the years, Itai has grown into becoming one of the leading Public Health Voices in…

No Means No! Empowering Adolescent Girls To Ward-Off Sexual Violence Through Self-Defense

August 1, 2022August 1, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

Tarisai Mhlanga (10), a Grade 6 pupil at Tafara Primary school in Chipinge says she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. However, with the increasing cases of Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in her community, she fears her dream might never come true. By Michael Gwarisa Though she is still very young, Tarisai dreads that one day on her way from school, when an abuser might just pounce on her and change her life completely. Her fears are real. Sexual abuse is rife in Manicaland province. Since…

Zim In Youth Population Bulge: Is Zimbabwe Ready to Harness This Demographic Change?

July 27, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

THE 2022 Population and Housing Census preliminary results have since been released with latest figures showing that the country has witnessed an annual population growth rate of 1.5%. Zimbabwe’s population was at 7.5 million people in 1982 and the latest statistics shows that it has taken 40 years for Zimbabwe’s population to double. By Michael Gwarisa According to population and demographics experts, at the current population growth rate, it will take Zimbabwe probably about 15 years to double to about 30 million people. According to the latest 2022 population and…

PSMI Boss Earns More Than French President Emmanuel Macron And Boris Johnson

July 25, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

STATE controlled daily newspaper, The Herald has published an article in which they revealed that Premier Service Medical Investments’ (PSMI) boss , Dr Tafadzwa Gutu is living large with a lucrative contract that sees him pocket US$23 000 a month in salary and allowances. By Michael Gwarisa PSMI is the investment arm of the Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) which was established after PSMAS set up PSMI to own its hospitals, clinics and pharmacies so as to offer clinical and curative services to their members at government subsidized rates.…

University Of Zimbabwe Psychology Graduate On Trailblazing Mental Health Advocacy Journey

July 20, 2022July 21, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

WHAT merely started as a blog has since evolved into becoming one of the organisations leading in mental advocacy in Zimbabwe. Mental health comes in various forms and in Zimbabwe, some of the most common types of mental health include Psychotic disorders, Depression, Anxiety disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among others. By Michael Gwarisa Drug use has also huge cause for mental health disorders in the country and statistics indicate an increase in the number of admissions in mental health institutions due to illicit substance use. The country’s health institutions…

To Deduct Or Not to Deduct AIDS Levy from VAT in Zimbabwe

July 20, 2022July 20, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

Rabson Mandizha* (45) is a carpenter and an entrepreneur from Kuwadzana, Home Industries in Harare. In 2012, he tested positive for HIV and was initiated on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). Every month, he gets his ART supply consistently from Kuwadzana Polyclinic and for this, he says is grateful to the government of Zimbabwe and partners for giving him a chance to live a healthy life. By Michael Gwarisa He has four Children with his wife who is also HIV positive and thanks to the national Prevention of Mother Transmission of HIV…

Can Masks Help Prevent Monkeypox? What We Know So Far

July 18, 2022 Healthtimes

THE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sparked confusion earlier in June when the agency recommended travelers wear masks to protect against the spread of monkeypox—and then promptly deleted it. By Rachel Murphy “Wear a mask,” the CDC said in a June 6 update to its Travelers’ Health website. “Wearing a mask can help protect you from many diseases, including monkeypox.” But within hours, that guidance was taken down. “Late yesterday, CDC removed the mask recommendation from the monkeypox Travel Health Notice because it caused confusion,” a CDC spokesperson told…

Reaping the rewards of recycling in Harare, Zimbabwe

July 6, 2022 Healthtimes

“It’s not waste until you waste it!” reads the sign in front of the towering water tanks in the community of Stoneridge on the outskirts of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. Here, MSF has developed a system that not only recycles food waste but also wastewater, which has had a meaningful impact on people’s health. MSF Zimbabwe Working with communities in Harare to identify the medical and environmental challenges they face, MSF saw an opportunity to tackle two big issues in Stoneridge. First was how to deal with biodegradable waste, like food…

Information Gaps Hindering Uptake Of Smoke Free Tobacco Alternatives Among Adult Smokers

June 27, 2022June 27, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

THE 7th Edition of the Tobacco Atlas, identified devastating health and economic costs of global tobacco use with indications that In 2019 alone, tobacco use caused more than 8.67 million deaths worldwide (6.53 million men, 2.14 million women) and approximately US $2 trillion in economic damage. Most deaths were attributable to smoking, but 1.3 million died from second hand smoke exposure. By Michael Gwarisa Another worrying trend the tobacco atlas picked was the growing use and smoking of tobacco by the youths. Youth tobacco use (girls and/or boys) increased in…

Hitting Three Birds with One Stone: Low Cost Boarding Facilities to Address Teen Pregnancies, Early Marriages and New HIV Infections in Chimanimani Adolescent Girls

June 15, 2022June 15, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

HILDER Muwani* (16) is doing Form 3 at Mhakwe Secondary school in Chimanimani. Every day, she walks 30 kilometers to and from school. She at some point contemplated moving to a bush boarding or renting a room near the school just to cut on the distance, but her parents would have none of it. They feared she would mix with the wrong crowd, fall pregnant and end up dropping out of school as has become the fate of many girls in Chimanimani. By Michael Gwarisa recently in Chimanimani The risk…