Category: Health News

National Health Commission Key For UHC

Healthtimes

A National Health Commission to coordinate all diseases in the country aside from HIV/AIDS could help Zimbabwe achieve universal health coverage by 2030, a Public Health Advocate has said. By Kudakwashe Pembere Ms Tariro Kutadza proposed the nation to come up with a national health commission or better yet modify the National Aids Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) to wear the UHC eyes. She said the country could take a leaf from Botswana which rebranded itself to a National Aids and Health Promotion Agency from the National Aids Council of Botswana.…

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Zim Poised To Become Sub Saharan Africa’s Hub For Urinary Tract Endoscopy: Chinese Official

Healthtimes

THE Chinese Government envisions Zimbabwe becoming a largest urinary tract endoscopy centre for Sub-Saharan Africa. By Kudakwashe Pembere This was said by the Vice Governor of Hunan Province in China Wu Guiying while handing over Urinary Surgical Instrument Donation to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals. “Especially, this year marks the fourth year that Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and Parirenyatwa Hospital of Zimbabwe have launched a program of cooperative hospital in urology. In the past four years, we have strengthened cooperation and are committed to establishing the largest urinary tract…

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Govt Electrifies Rural Clinics In 3rd 100 Day Cycle

Healthtimes

CABINET says some healthcare facilities in rural areas across Zimbabwe were electrified during the third 100 day cycle. By Kudakwashe Pembere This report was made by the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Monitoring and Implementation of Government Programs Honorable Joram Gumbo. “42 institutions including schools, clinics and homesteads and service centres were electrified in the rural provinces,” announced the Minister of information, media and broadcasting services Senator Monica Mutsvanga in the last Post Cabinet media Briefing of the year. This electrification of clinics comes at a time when most clinics…

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First Line ART For Paediatrics Expected Soon

Healthtimes

ABACAVIR/LAMIVUDINE, an antiretroviral regimen is expected into the country anytime soon, HealthTimes has learnt. By Kudakwashe Pembere Since 2013 World Health Organisation(WHO) Guidelines have recommended Abacavir/Lamivudine (ABC/3TC) as the preferred nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) backbone in first-line ART in children ages 3-10years and as one of two preferred NRTI backbones for first line in infants and children ages 0-3 years. NatPharm Operations Manager Mr Charles Mwaramba in an interview said, “Last time I heard, we learnt that medicine should arrive.” He however didn’t have the latest update since they have…

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Potraz Donates To People With Disabilities

Healthtimes

THE Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) through the Universal Services Fund (USF) on Monday donated computer software and hardware to people living with disabilities. By Kuda Pembere The items worth USD142 147 were handed over to Emerald Hill School for the Deaf, Margaretta Hugo School for the Blind affectionately known as Capota, Mckertuan Primary School in Bulawayo, National League for the Blind, Jairos Jiri Kadoma and the National Rehabilitation Centre in Ruwa. Addressing recipients, Potraz Director General Dr Gift Machengete said this donation had a personal motivation…

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Extreme Mulnutrition Stalks Low &Middle Income Countries

Michael Gwarisa

A four year-paper report published in The Lancet reveals that there is increasing undernutrition and obesity in low and middle income countries owing to rapid changes in countries’ food systems. According to the report, more than a third of such countries had overlapping forms of malnutrition (45 of 123 countries in the 1990s, and 48 of 126 countries in the 2010s), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and east Asia and the Pacific. Undernutrition and obesity can lead to effects across generations as both maternal undernutrition and obesity are associated…

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The Union Endorses New WHO DRTB Treatment Recommendations

Michael Gwarisa

THE Union  against Tuberculosis (TB) and lung infection says it welcomes the rapid communication from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). The WHO rapid communication document, issued on 11 December, is based on new evidence shared by the South African TB Programme, as well as research and technical partners including The Union. It recommends improving access to new regimens and prioritising an effective all-oral short treatment regimen, replacing the injectable drugs with bedaquiline for people with multidrug and rifampicin-resistant TB. It also highlights the…

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Zim’s Global Fund Grant Performance Ranking Improves

Healthtimes

THE Global Fund To Fight Aids TB and Malaria has raised Zimbabwe’s ratings for being one of the countries meeting their Grant performance expectations. By Kudakwashe Pembere Aidspan, a Global Fund independent observer, explains that every few months, the Global Fund assigns each grant a rating that measures the performance of that grant over the past few months. These ratings are A1 (“Exceeds expectations”), A2 (“Meets expectations”), B1 (“Adequate”), B2 (“Inadequate but potential demonstrated”) or C (“Unacceptable”). In the map below, we show the average rating assigned by the Global…

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Avenues Clinic To Spend US$8 million On Renovations

Michael Gwarisa

AN amount to the tune of plus or minus US$8 million is earmarked for the total refurbishment of  Avenues Clinic as the institution aims to increase its ability to handle complex health situations. By Michael Gwarisa In an interview on the sidelines of the Health Brief at Avenues Clinic, the Clinic’s Chief Officer, Mr Searchmore Chaparadza said under the Medical Investments Limited (MIL) which is an grouping of medical facilities whose flagship is the avenues clinic, innovations are happening in all the areas. To date, what we have done are…

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Zim Maternal Mortality Rate Drops

Healthtimes

ZIMBABWE’S maternal mortality rate dropped to 462 per 100 000 live births from the previous 614 per 100 000 live births recorded in 2014, the latest Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019 found. By Kudakwashe Pembere Maternal mortality ratio is the number of women who die during pregnancy and childbirth, per 100,000 live births. The data are estimated with a regression model using information on fertility, birth attendants, and HIV prevalence. UNICEF Zimbabwe Country Representative Laylee Moshiri said this was the third MICS for Zimbabwe with the first and second done…

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