WHO and UNICEF call on governments, industry, donors and civil society to fund and prioritize access to assistive products A new report published today by WHO and UNICEF reveals that more than 2.5 billion people need one or more assistive products, such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, or apps that support communication and cognition. Yet nearly one billion of them are denied access, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where access can be as low as 3% of the need for these life-changing products. The Global Report on Assistive Technology presents…
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High level of resistant bacteria circulating in the environment, food chain and community: A call to strengthen One Health Surveillance on antimicrobial resistance in Zimbabwe
Kadoma, Zimbabwe – Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to global public health, which involves the human, animal, plants, food, and environment sectors. AMR happens when germs like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. As a result, the medicines become ineffective, and infections can persist in the body and/or spread to others. This increases illness and even deaths in humans, animals and plants. It also has implications for food safety, food security and the economic well-being of millions of people. By Tatenda Chimbwanda…
Read MorePromoting mental health in the workplace in Zimbabwe
Harare, Zimbabwe – On average, every working Zimbabwean spends one third of their life at work. This is a lot of time employees are exposed to work-related stresses. Moreover, the COVID- 19 pandemic exacerbated the risk of Mental Health (MH) conditions and aggravated pre-existing ones. Yet, aspects that affect job performance, such as psychological wellbeing, remain largely unaddressed at the workplace. Most companies have very limited MH and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services offered in the workplace. By Tatenda Chimbwanda Since, employees do not have the basic skills to screen themselves,…
Read MoreZim Hosts One Impact Mobile App Familiarisation Meeting
VARIOUS stakeholders from the heath sector converged in Macheke, Mashonaland East to familiarise with the One-Health Mobile application, a tool which is set to become a key strategic response to combatting the challenges faced by Tuberculosis (TB) survivors and communities affected by TB as well as overcome bottlenecks in ending the TB epidemic. By Michael Gwarisa In an interview with HealthTimes on the side-lines of the One Impact Planning meeting in Macheke on Friday, 14 May 2022, Jointed Hands Welfare Organisation (JHWO) Executive Director, Dr Donald Tobaiwa said, “Today’s meeting…
Read MoreZim Nurses Morale At Record Low
THE continued economic hardships and poor conditions of service for nurses have further dampened morale in the nursing camp, with indications that more experienced nurses are already processing paperwork to leave the country for better employment opportunities. By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is currently battling one of its worst exodus in skilled nursing personal, amidst indications that in 2021, at least 2000 nurses were confirmed to have left the country for greener pastures and under the prevailing situation, more are likely to leave before the year ends. There has also been…
Read MoreFleming Fund In Major boost for Manicaland AMR Surveillance
THE Fleming Fund has extended support towards the refurbishment and upgrading of two laboratories in Manicaland Province, one at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital and another one at the Department of Veterinary Services, with the aim of addressing gaps in the surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). By Michael Gwarisa Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. According to statistics, more than 1.2 million…
Read MorePrioritize Nurses Concerns- Zim Senior Doctors Tell Gvt
THE Zimbabwe Senior Hospital Doctors Association (ZSHD), has called on government to be sincere and improve the living and working conditions of nurses to prevent the prevailing brain drain. By Staff Reporter In their solidarity message in honor of the International Nurses Day, Dr Grant Murewanehma, the Social Media Manager for the ZSHD said nurses were central and integral to the provision of quality healthcare. We appreciate the central role played by nurses. We appreciate their sterling work and we urge the responsible authorities to actually improve or try and…
Read MoreThe Econet Victoria Falls Marathon is back!
THE Econet Victoria Falls Marathon returns to the sporting calendar this year, with close to 5 000 runners expected to participate at this year’s event on July 03, 2022. Staff Reporter Announcing the marathon this week, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe – the title sponsors of the popular marathon – said this year’s event will be held physically in the iconic resort town. We are delighted to announce that registration is now open for this year’s Econet Victoria Falls marathon, and to let the public know that this year’s event will be…
Read More#BREAKING: Measles Outbreak Hits Zimbabwe’s Mutasa District, 20 Deaths Recorded To Date
MUTASA district in Manicaland province in Zimbabwe, is facing a measles outbreak, amidst indications that more than 100 cases and 20 deaths have already been recorded since the outbreak was first reported last month, The HealthTimes can reveal. By Michael Gwarisa The Measles Outbreak in Mutasa comes hot on the heels of a warning by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) of a brewing perfect storm of conditions for measles outbreaks affecting children. In an interview, Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Permanent…
Read MoreZimbabwe Trains Botswana On Developing HIV Prevention Cascades
A Zimbabwean delegation comprising of National AIDS Council (NAC) and Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) staff, recently travelled to Botswana to train and assist their counterparts to develop HIV Prevention Cascades. By Michael Gwarisa The training follows bilateral discussions between the two countries facilitated by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country office in Botswana who had noted the progress that Zimbabwe had made in developing HIV prevention cascades to inform planning, implementation and tracking of the HIV response in the country. In an interview with HealthTimes, National…
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