Category: Health News

MILESTONE: Zim attains 95-95-95 HIV targets

Kuda Pembere

ZIMBABWE has reached the UNAIDS set 95-95-95 HIV targets, securing a place in the list of other Southern African countries such as Botswana that have attained the goal. By Kudakwashe Pembere The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS aims for HIV testing, treatment and viral suppression rates to be 95%–95%–95% by 2025. Addressing the press at a National AIDS Council (NAC) media workshop, Ministry of Health and Child Care National ART coordinator Dr Chiedza Mupanduki said according to their June 2022 figures on HIV show Zimbabwe realised the 95-95-95 target…

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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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Coping with diabetes, hypertension, a day at a time……complexity of lifelong medication

Healthtimes

“Personally, I have been finding it difficult to manage the prescriptions and I have resorted to skipping doses, so that I manage to survive on the little I get to buy the meds. I am sometimes lucky to get handouts to buy insulin from well wishers,” a heartbreaking insight into the life of a diabetic. By Catherine Murombedzi A specialist in diabetes said there is no cure, but medication and the Dos and Dont’s, to manage the diseases with coping mechanisms inorder to lower the risks. “Diabetes mellitus and hypertension…

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High turnout at free cataract clinic at Parirenyatwa

Kuda Pembere

Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals (PGH) has stopped taking in new patients for the free cataract screening and surgery due to an overwhelming turnout. Over 1 000 patients turned up for the free eye clinic showing the insurmountable demand for free services. “Reference is made to our public notice in which we informed the public that there would be a free Adult Cataract Screening and Surgery Camp from Sunday 30 October 2022 to Thursday 3 November 2022. “We would like to advise the public that the response has been overwhelming to…

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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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Zimbabwe’s per capita spending on health drops to US$20

Kuda Pembere

THE Zimbabwean Government through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development allocated US$20 per citizen towards healthcare provision, which is US$25 lower than the US$45 it spent on an individual in 2021. By Kudakwashe Pembere This allocation or spending on a single person or single citizen is also known as per capita spending or per capita allocation. Presenting a paper last Thursday at a Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) workshop om National Stakeholder Engagement and Consesus on Revitalising Primary Health Care in Zimbabwe, Dr Prosper Chitambara noted Zimbabwe’s per…

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Village Health Workers complain of paltry allowances

Kuda Pembere

Community village health workers are appealing to be recognised in the National Budget given they are usually sidelined on payment issues much to their displeasure. By Kudakwashe Pembere Formerly known as village health workers, these frontline health workers complain they last got their paltry allowances which come with deductions in 2019. Their call comes at a time the Health and Child Care Ministry has not been receiving from the Treasury the 15 percent of the national budget as espoused in the Abuja declaration which Zimbabwe signed up to. “When we…

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