Category: Health News

’25 percent of Zimbabweans Once Had a Mental Disorder’

Healthtimes

ABOUT 25 percent of adults are believed to have suffered from a mental health disorder once upon a time in their life. By Kudakwashe Pembere Mental healthcare expert Dr Sacrifice Chirisa told HealthTimes on the sidelines of a Roundtable focus on Mental Health workshop  in Harare that Zimbabwe was not doing enough to tackle this burdening scourge. Mental health is very common. It’s ambiguous. It’s everywhere in the world. Zimbabwe included. What we have just seen is that Zimbabwe has not been very serious on mental health as it should…

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Lois Chingandu Joins Frontline AIDS

Michael Gwarisa

RENOWNED HIV and sexual reproductive health rights expert, Lois Chingandu has joined Frontline AIDS, a leading HIV and AIDS response organisation as its new Director of Evidence and Influence . By Michael Gwarisa Lois joins Frontline AIDS at a pivotal time for the organisation after serving at the helm of SAFAIDS Zimbabwe as Executive Director. The organisation, Frontline rebranded in February 2019 and is set to launch a new Global Plan of Action later this year and Lois together with her new team will play a central role in generating…

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Moyo Appoints New Chitungwiza Hospital Board

Healthtimes

HEALTH and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo on Monday appointed a new five member Chitungwiza Central Hospital board with Professor Hilda Matarira as its chairperson. By HealthTimes Reporter Deputising Professor Matarira is Mr Enock Moyo a sales and marketing expert while the hospital’s chief executive officer Dr Enock Maida was made an ex-officio member. Mr Lameck Chibvingodze and Mrs Patricia Mutetwa were made members of the board. Officially unveiling the new board at Chitungwiza Central Hospital yesterday, Dr Moyo implored them to shun corruption. The Minister tasked the board…

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Fixed Parirenyatwa Radiotherapy Machine Malfunctioning

Healthtimes

ONE radiotherapy machine at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals has started displaying some error messages barely a month after being fixed, an official at the state owned institution has said. By Kudakwashe Pembere In an interview with HealthTimes, Parirenyatwa’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Mr Edson Mundenda said it has been three weeks since the machines had been fixed. With the radiotherapy machines, I can say it’s almost three weeks they have been running after we got that intervention from the ministry and also a bit of the money from the treasury.…

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Only 134 Ambulances Functioning Countrywide

Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE only has 134 operational ambulances out of 282 vehicles, a situation which has affected the sector’s capacity to respond to health emergencies. This was revealed by Auditor General, Mildred Chiri during her submission of the Report on the Audit of Appropriation Accounts, Finance and Revenue Statements and Fund Accounts of Zimbabwe for the year ended December 31, 2018. “In order for the Ministry to promote public health it requires ambulances to provide transport to patients. My examination of the asset register for the Ministry however, revealed a constraint in…

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Doctors Told Not To Hike Fees

Healthtimes

GOVERNMENT has warned errant medical specialists not to proceed with the exorbitant pricing of health services. By Kudakwashe Pembere Health and Child Care Secretary Dr Agnes Mahomva in a statement said this was unfair. “The Ministry is greatly concerned with the unilateral increase of tariffs by the Physician Association of Zimbabwe following the announcement of the SI 142 of 2019. This amounts to unfair practice by providers to members in terms of the Medical Services (Medical Aid Societies) (Amendment) Regulations, 2004,” she said. She explained that the Act forbids any…

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PCD Donates ZW$387K Worth Of Chemotherapy Medicines

Healthtimes

PHARMACEUTICAL and Chemical Distributors on Friday handed over a donation of chemotherapy drugs worth over ZWL$387 000 at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals with some of the medication to be extended to Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo. By Kudakwashe Pembere The intervention comes after CancerServe Trust solicited from companies to provide free medicines for cancer patients who have to cough up US$100 for chemotherapy. Cancerserve chairperson Dr Anna-Mary Nyakabau told HealthTimes the donation meant cancer patients would get the chemotherapy drugs for free. She said some patients were now selling belongings to…

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Zim Annual TB Incidence Falls By 8%

Michael Gwarisa

CASES of new Tuberculosis (TB) infections have declined by 8% at the back of improved access to TB screening treatment and care at community level. By Michael Gwarisa The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is defined as the number of new TB cases in one year per 100,000 population whereas  prevalence of tuberculosis is defined as the number of TB cases in a population at a given point in time (sometimes referred to as “point prevalence”) per 100,000 population Speaking at the Mid Term Review of the Zimbabwe National TB program,…

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200 Chinese Doctors Dispatched To Zim Since 1985

Healthtimes

CHINA has to date brought about 200 Chinese specialist doctors to Zimbabwe since 1985 to support local medical personnel. Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy of China to Zimbabwe Mr Chen Ning said this at the reception of ten Chinese specialists who arrived over the weekend. “In 1985, the government of china started sending its medical teams to Zimbabwe. At the moment nearly 200 doctors as medical teams have been sent to Zimbabwe,” he said. Since 1963, the Chinese government has so far brought 30 000 of its doctors…

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Zim Abortion Law Drives Girls Into Early Marriages

Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE’S current Termination of Pregnancy Act which criminalises abortion, opens room for uncontrolled early child marriages, a top legal expert has said. By Michael Gwarisa The Termination of Pregnancy Act (ToP) 1977 only permits abortion if the pregnancy poses a threat to the life of the unborn child or the mother or if the pregnancy is as a result of incest or rape. According to the law, termination of pregnancy cannot happen anywhere else besides a designated institution in this case a public hospital and at least two medical practitioners…

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