Category: Health News

Saving Lives on the Move: SLL-Backed Mobile Vaccination Drives Reach Gokwe’s Hard-to-Reach Communities

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Gokwe From a distance, a thick cloud of dust rose above the Mopane-strewn horizon on the southern side of Muchohwe Primary School, deep in Chief Chireya’s territory in Gokwe North. Minutes later, a white twin-cab vehicle emerged, prompting cheers and ululation from the gathered community. The vehicle carried more than just people. It was stocked with lifesaving vaccines, essential medications, and other critical health supplies for a mobile outreach program. As it rolled to a stop, healthcare workers stepped out, greeted like heroes by a crowd…

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Zimbabwe Fails to Immunise 34,000 Children Every Year

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is falling behind in its efforts to fully immunise every child, with approximately 34,000 children going without basic vaccinations each year. This alarming statistic, contained in the latest World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) report released on July 15, 2025, highlights the persistent vulnerability of Zimbabwe’s youngest citizens, many of whom remain completely unprotected from life-threatening vaccine-preventable diseases. The WUENIC report revealed that across Southern Africa, the number of “zero-dose” children, those who have not received even the first dose…

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Nurses Council Faces Lawsuit Threat Over Accusations Against HIPH

Healthtimes

By Rukudzo Gota and Kuda Pembere The Harare Institute of Public Health (HIPH) has threatened to take legal action against the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe (NCZ) over a public notice that HIPH says defamed and misrepresented its legitimacy as a training institution. Through its legal representative, Professor Lovemore Madhuku, HIPH issued a 24-hour ultimatum for the NCZ to retract and delete the statements posted on social media platforms, which it argues falsely accuse the institution of fraudulently offering nursing education. According to Madhuku, the NCZ’s statement portrays HIPH as illegitimate,…

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MCAZ Issues Urgent Warning on Falsified Cloxacillin Capsules in Zimbabwe

Healthtimes

By Rukudzo Gota The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) has flagged falsified and unregistered Cloxacillin capsules on the market. With falsified medicines posing a significant threat to public health, in statement, MCAZ these capsules were identified as originating from Gartas Investments. These counterfeit capsules according to the medicines regulator lack the safety and efficacy assurances of the genuine product manufactured by Varichem Pharmaceuticals (Pvt) Ltd. MCAZ highlighted distinctive features that differentiate the falsified product from its legitimate counterpart. While the authentic Cloxacillin capsules are marked with “V-CLOX 250” and…

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Sightsavers Zimbabwe Renews Mandate Under New PVO Bill, Pledges Expanded Disability Inclusion Efforts

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Harare, Zimbabwe — Sightsavers Zimbabwe has officially renewed its mandate with the Government of Zimbabwe, operating now under the country’s recently enacted Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) Act. The renewal not only secures the organisation’s continued work in providing inclusive eye care but also signals a strategic expansion of its commitment to disability inclusion across Zimbabwe. Through his LinkedIn account, Peter Bere, Country Director of Sightsavers Zimbabwe, welcomed the renewal as a significant milestone. This renewal under the new PVO legislation offers us a fresh opportunity to deepen…

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Zimbabwe’s Solar for Health Project Attracts Global Interest

Michael Gwarisa

By Kudakwashe Pembere Zimbabwe’s Solar for Health (S4H) initiative, which has powered over 1,000 health facilities across the country, has caught the attention of several countries across Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America keen to learn from its implementation. Since its launch in 2017, more than 1,700 public health institutions in Zimbabwe have been equipped with solar systems under the S4H project, which is funded by The Global Fund. In an interview with HealthTimes on the sidelines of the commissioning of a climate-proof incinerator at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, United…

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Zim Commissions Modern Incinerator to Manage Medical Waste and Fight Climate Change

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere At a time when medical waste is being cited as one of the major contributors to climate change, Zimbabwe’s Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora and Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Neale Richmond, commissioned a state-of-the-art incinerator at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. The incinerator was installed by BoltGas with funding from the Global Fund. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) served as the implementing partner for the Ministry of Health and Child Care. Speaking after the commissioning of…

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Ireland Reaffirms Commitment to Development Aid Amid Global Cuts

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere At a time when the world is witnessing a decline in development aid, the Republic of Ireland has reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining international support. This assurance follows a trend that began in US President Donald Trump’s administration, which saw America, once the largest donor, cut its spending on international development initiatives. Several other countries followed suit. Speaking at the commissioning of a state-of-the-art incinerator at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital on Monday, Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Neale Richmond, emphasized…

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HIPH Says Nursing Assistant Program Fully Backed by Government, Responds to Nurses Council Concerns

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The Harare Institute of Public Health (HIPH) has responded to a public notice issued by the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe (NCZ), which distanced itself from any regulatory association with the institute’s training of nurses. HIPH maintains that its programs are accredited by the government under the Higher Education Examinations Council (HEXCO) and do not fall under the mandate of the Nurses Council. In a statement released last week, the Nurses Council sought to clarify its position, stating that it neither recognises nor regulates any nursing qualifications offered…

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Kwidini Hails Milestone as Parents No Longer Need to Fly Abroad for Heart Surgeries

Healthtimes

By Rukudzo Gota and Kuda Pembere The high cost of open heart surgeries for children has long placed a heavy burden on Zimbabwean families. However, local collaboration on these procedures is now easing the pressure on parents and guardians who would otherwise be expected to fork out between US$15 000to US$20 000 for treatment in countries like India, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. Sleiman Kwidini, has said. Kwidini said this while addressing journalists during a medical camp at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, where a team of Egyptian…

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