THERE is need to create a Cancer Levy to fund for treatment of cancer patients in the country, medical doctors have said. By Kudakwashe Pembere Modelled like the AIDS levy, the fund will help cancer patients access affordable treatment.This came out during a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee On Gender Cancer Assessment tour around Harare’s hospitals. Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals Consultant Oncologist Dr Anna Mary Nyakabau told parliamentarians that patients were bearing the burden of expensive cancer treatment on their own. “Most of the patients we treat for cancer use money…
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Zim Needs Evidence Informed & Multisectoral National Alcohol policy
EIGHT years after the drafting of a Zimbabwe national Alcohol policy, nothing has materialised. The Ministry of Health and Child Care National Cancer strategy 2013-17 cited alcohol as a major risk factor for cancer, as a result, the Zimbabwe National Alcohol policy is a key component in the fight against cancer and other Non-Communicable Diseases. By Enoch Musungwini Research has shown that alcohol is a risk factor for HIV transmission and the multisectoral efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe should also be supported by effective implementation and monitoring of the…
Read MoreOperation Of Hope To Conduct Free Cleft Lift Surgeries In Honor Of Tuku
THE all-Volunteer US and Canadian Surgical team, OPERATION OF HOPE dedicates their upcoming cleft surgical mission in Zimbabwe in honor of Oliver Mtukudzi, as they target 80 free facial reconstructive surgeries May 2019 Operation of Hope Celebrates 30 years of Good Works in 2019 Operation of Hope, a 30-year old, US/Canadian based surgical charity, is planning their 26th surgical mission to Zimbabwe. Since 2006, they have performed more than 5,000 free cleft surgeries for children and adults in Zimbabwe, alone. This mission, according to Jennifer Mora Trubenbach, CEO of Operation…
Read More#JUSTIN: Zim Urgently Needs $234M For Food and Humanitarian Aid
A total of US$234 million is required to urgently address the food and humanitarian crisis unfolding in Zimbabwe where nearly 5.3 million Zimbabweans need assistance up to the month of June 2019. HealthTimes Reporter The call is a response to the rising humanitarian needs in the country due to poor rains and a challenging economic situation. Following a successful three day long humanitarian needs assessment by the UN-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, the UN in conjunction with the government of Zimbabwe launched a Humanitarian…
Read MoreGlobal Congenital Syphilis Cases Decline -WHO
New estimates published today show that there were more than half a million (around 661,000) total cases of congenital syphilis in 2016, resulting in over 200,000 stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Syphilis is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections globally, with approximately 6 million new cases each year. If a pregnant woman who is infected does not receive early and effective treatment, she can then transmit the infection to her unborn infant. This is known as ‘congenital syphilis’, which is often fatal. It can also cause low birth…
Read More50 000 Receive Typhoid Vaccine
THE Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine has been administered to over 50 000 people in Harare since Monday. By Kudakwashe Pembere UNICEF Zimbabwe tweeted that the targeted suburbs are currently receiving the vaccination. “The Typhoid Conjugate Vaccination Campaign is currently ongoing in Mbare, Mufakose, Kuwadzana, Hatcliffe, Budiriro, Hopley, Glen Norah, Dzivarasekwa and Glen View. Over 50,000 have been vaccinated already. Get vaccinated today,” encouraged the organisation. The campaign running until 4 March is targeting children aged 6 months to 15 years old. “In Mbare district, where the disease has impacted adult populations,…
Read MoreFree Albinism Clinic Opens In Harare
GLOBAL Aid Missions, a non-governmental organization that supports people with Albinism, has opened the country’s first albinism free clinic By HealthTimes Reporter The GAM Health Clinic situated at number 53 Central Avenue in Harare, will also be open to the general public. “People with Albinism (PWA) have been for a long time marginalized from the mainstream healthcare services due to stigmatization and poverty, and the purpose of this clinic is to close the gap. Our mission is to make the lives of people with Albinism a living experience through the service provision of GP Consultations, Sexual…
Read More#EXCLUSIVE: Pharmacies Defy Official US$1: RTGS$2, 50 Rate
MOST pharmacies in Harare are still using the black market foreign currency exchange rate shunning the official rate of US$1: RTGS$2, 5, HealthTimes has established. By Kudakwashe Pembere In a survey around the city’s pharmacies, the publication discovered that they were charging between the range of US$1 as to RTGS$4 and RTGS$4,50. Most pharmacies even hiked the prices of their medicines in the US$. Asked about the monetary policy view as presented by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr John Mangundya, a pharmacist said it was about time they conceded…
Read MoreZim Sets Up Public Health Emergency Outbreak Centre
THE first phase of the construction of Zimbabwe’s public health emergency outbreak operation centre located at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals will be complete by March, a health expert has said. By Kudakwashe Pembere This centre comes as part of the recommendations by the World Health Organisation promoting the use of one tool to streamline the response: a Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC). These centres are an essential part of a response because they provide a physical location for the management team to coordinate information and resources. In an interview…
Read MoreTyphoid Vaccination Commences On Monday
GOVERNMENT begins rolling out a mass typhoid vaccination campaign intended to mitigate the menacing waterborne disease among its citizens. By Kudakwashe Pembere The implementation of this programme makes Zimbabwe the first African country to take up the large scale vaccination against typhoid which unlike other typhoid vaccines in September can be administered to young children and long lasting immunity. Briefing the press, Health and Child care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo hoped the program to have coincided the same time as the first phase of the vaccination dose. “I would like…
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