Category: Health News

Zimbabwe To Start Testing Childhood TB Using Stool Samples

Michael Gwarisa

THE Ministry of Health and Child (MoHCC) will soon be commence training of healthcare workers across the country’s 62 districts to test for Tuberculosis (TB) in children using stools, as the country intensifies efforts to reduce the growing burden of Childhood TB. By Michael Gwarisa The development comes in the midst of indications that the country’s Childhood TB cases have been on an upward trend over the years while some have been missed largely due to failure by healthcare workers to detect TB children as children detecting TB in children…

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University Of Zimbabwe Psychology Graduate On Trailblazing Mental Health Advocacy Journey

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…

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

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…

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Central Hospitals in USD200 000 debt

Healthtimes

SUPPLIERS of medical sundries and equipment are yet to receive payment from Government with Central Hospitals having a USD200 000 debt. HealthTimes Reporter This issue was raised by Harare North legislator Hon. Allan Markham last week in Parliament who stated that these suppliers were last paid on October 21, last year. Madam Speaker, my point of national interest is on the health service.  We have been told that only 14% of the National Budget for this year has been drawn down by the end of May. However, the Minister of…

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Can Masks Help Prevent Monkeypox? What We Know So Far

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…

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Zim Smallholder Farmers Grow Small Grain Crops To Beat Climate Change

Healthtimes

IN the midst of Climate change induced effects such as droughts and other natural disasters, small scale farmers in Zimbabwe’s communal lands are slowly replacing maize with small grains as they seek to adapt to the ever changing environment, a top researcher has said. By Patricia Mashiri A case study of rural Mbire which was done to evaluate the nutritional and psychological health impacts showed that there was a shift from maize farming in areas that receive below normal rainfall to drought tolerant crops such as  sorghum, millet and Rapokko.…

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Zim Health Journalists Accomplish Public Health Course

Michael Gwarisa

THE first cohort of Zimbabwean health Journalists have successfully attained certificates in Public Health and Health Communication with one of the country’s leading Public Health training institutions, the Harare Institute of Public Health (HIPH). By Michael Gwarisa A total 14 Health Journalists from different media houses, who are also members of the Health Communicators Forum in Zimbabwe (HCF) enrolled for the one week long course and covered an array of modules. Some of the courses covered include,  Introduction to Epidemiology, Health Financing, Health Systems, Human Resources, Primary Health Care Policies…

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Things Fall Apart At PSMI

Healthtimes

EMPLOYEES to the Premier Medical Services Investments (PSMI) have written to government requesting the immediate disbanding of the board and suspension of the entire PSMI directorate for failure to run the organisation professionally. HealthTimes Reporter According to a petition addressed to government by PSMI employees, the organisation’s leadership and it’s board have of late been exuding arrogance and ignorance on the prevailing crisis threatening the existence of the organisation. In an interview with HealthTimes, PSMI employees lawyer, Mr Michael Sambo said it was impossible to move ahead with the current…

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Africa Records 63% Jump In Zoonotic Diseases

Michael Gwarisa

Diseases transmitted from animals to people in Africa have jumped 63 per cent in last decade, compared with the previous ten year period, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis released on Thursday. By Staff Reporter A zoonotic disease is an infectious disease that is transmitted between species from animals to humans (or from humans to animals). According to the WHO analysis, since 2001, 1,843 substantiated public health events were recorded in the African region – 30 percent of which were zoonotic outbreaks. While the numbers have increased over…

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Zimbabwe To Host 23rd International Congress On STIs

Michael Gwarisa

THE 23rd edition of the International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI), will be held in Zimbabwe  from September 4 t0 September 7, 2022, in the resort town of Victoria Falls.   By Michael Gwarisa The Congress will run under the theme, “Confronting Inequities in STI Prevention, Diagnostics and Care,” and will be graced by  various speakers from across the world. In an interview with HealthTimes, Charlene Thlabane Project Manager for the 23rd IUSTI congress said they expect not less than 300 attendees at the 23r IUSTI congress. We expect that…

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