Category: Health News

World Vision joins child nutrition advocacy

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere World Vision has joined the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Civil Society Network through its global Enough Campaign, which focuses on tackling child malnutrition. The SUN Civil Society Network engages in nutrition advocacy, and World Vision’s participation underscores its recognition of malnutrition as a significant barrier to its broader programming on health, child marriages, and sexual abuse prevention. Nutrition advocacy is one of our new areas that we just want to delve into as World Vision. Why? Because from evidence, we have realised that hunger and malnutrition are…

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10/10 Open-Heart Surgeries on Children Successful at Parirenyatwa

Kuda Pembere

By Kudakwashe Pembere Ten children underwent successful open-heart surgeries at a medical camp held at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals. The operations, conducted by a team of specialist cardiothoracic surgeons from Parirenyatwa and Egypt, began on Monday. Speaking to journalists after the surgeries, Parirenyatwa specialist cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Simukayi Machawira expressed optimism about the children’s recovery. The operation was successful, and the children are breathing well. They can do most basic functions. We are expectant that most will be discharged next week,” said Dr. Machawira. Dr. Machawira outlined their goal to…

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CWGH Calls on Government to Fulfill Cholera Elimination Promise as New Outbreak Looms

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  In a passionate appeal to the government and public, the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) has issued a stern reminder of the urgency to eliminate cholera as a public health problem by 2028. The CWGH, a network of civil society and community-based organizations in Zimbabwe, urged officials to prioritize a comprehensive approach to public health that addresses the root causes of cholera outbreaks, which have plagued the nation for decades. The CWGH applauded the government’s previous initiatives, including the 2018-2028 National Cholera Elimination Roadmap and other…

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WCoZ Advocates for Gender-Responsive Health Budget in 2025 to Address Women’s Needs in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) has engaged the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health to advocate for a gender-responsive health budget that addresses the unique health needs of women in Zimbabwe in the 2025 national budget. WCoZ’s submission highlights the critical role women play in shaping the 2025 National Budget, drawing on the organization’s extensive knowledge of gender inequality, women’s lived experiences, and how national budgets impact women’s lives. WCoZ recognizes that women and men have different needs and access to resources, underscoring the necessity of gender-responsive…

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Zimbabwe Resumes Pediatric Heart Surgeries After Five-Year Hiatus

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Amid an annual caseload of 4,500 Zimbabwean children born with heart diseases, the country has resumed open-heart surgeries after a five-year hiatus, with a week-long medical camp at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals. With the last medical camp for open-heart surgeries conducted in 2018, the Gift of Life International and local surgeons are now operating on 10 children under the age of 14. The medical camp was facilitated by the Rotary Club of Harare Central. This is our inaugural camp with the visiting team from Egypt, The University…

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Cholera Returns To Zimbabwe Just Four Months After Declared End of Outbreak

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa One person has died in the latest Cholera outbreak that has infected 21 people in the resort town of Kariba in Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has confirmed. The latest outbreak comes hot on the heals of a government proclamation four months ago that Zimbabwe had declared an end to the cholera outbreak that devastated multiple communities across the country. In an interview with HealthTimes, the Ministry of Health Kariba District Medical Officer Dr. Godfrey Muza confirmed the new outbreak urged citizens to…

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Zimbabwe To Double Midwives Training Recruitment

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) says it intends to double the recruitment of trainee midwives in the coming years in a bid to address the gap left by skilled nurses and midwives who have left the country for greener pastures. This initiative, along with the recently launched e-learning program for midwives, aims to improve the country’s maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of a tour of the e-learning system at Sally Mugabe Hospital in Harare, Mrs. Nyaradzayi Chiwara,…

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Drug and Substance Abuse Hits Zimbabwe’s Working Class Hard

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwaris Contrary to the common belief that drug and substance abuse primarily affects unemployed youth and adolescents, recent data reveals that Zimbabwe’s working class faces a similarly high incidence of substance use. According to national data, males represent the majority of mental health cases linked to drug and substance use, underscoring the severe impact on mental health among this demographic. You find that the working class in Zimbabwe also has a high usage of illicit drugs and substances. Adolescents have a 37 percent rate of drug and substance…

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Zim launches “Zero Malaria Starts With Me” campaign

Kuda Pembere

By Kudakwashe Pembere Zimbabwe on Friday hosted the SADC Malaria Day commemorations attended by Health ministers from member states while joining 24 other African countries in launching the “Zero Malaria Starts With Me” Campaign in Murehwa. Also present were health development partners. Officiating the event, Zimbabwe’s Vice President Dr Constantine Chiwenga said the elimination of malaria in the SADC region would pave way for economic development and prosperity. “The Theme for this year’s commemoration, “Resilient Health Systems and Communities: Key to Malaria Elimination,” underscores a fundamental truth that malaria elimination…

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Rising STI Cases Threaten to Reverse HIV Gains in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The surge in new Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) is a clear indication that Zimbabweans may be engaging in unprotected sex, a trend that could reverse the HIV gains recorded so far, top health officials have warned. Between January and June 2024, Zimbabwe recorded the highest number of new STI cases, with some infections showing resistance to available antibiotics. This was confirmed by Mr. Sinokuthemba Xaba, the National Condom and Male Circumcision Coordinator in the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), during a media training session for…

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