Category: NON COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Insurance Compensation Activated for Bindura-Mt Darwin Highway Accident Victims

Healthtimes

By Staff Reporter  The Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ) has announced the immediate activation of insurance cover to provide compensation and support for the victims of the fatal bus accident that occurred on the Bindura-Mt Darwin Highway on Wednesday, 29 October 2025. The tragic incident claimed six lives and left several others injured, prompting an outpouring of national grief. In a press statement released on Thursday, the ICZ, which represents non-life insurers and reinsurers in the country, extended its “profound and heartfelt condolences” to the bereaved families and the nation.…

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Cancer: The Grim Reaper Killing Zimbabwean Female Journalists

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa At just 28, in 2017, Daily News journalist Sharon Muguwu succumbed to leukemia. I remember meeting Sharon back in 2016. Despite her frail frame and tired eyes, she still spoke softly but with courage. “Ndanga ndichirwara Mike,” she said when I asked about her health. Not long after that conversation, heartbreaking news of her passing spread across the media fraternity, leaving us shattered. Even today, the pain lingers. Eight years after Sharon’s death, Zimbabwe’s media industry continues to lose some of its brightest talents to the same…

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Oncologists Should Lead the Tobacco Harm Reduction Discourse

Healthtimes
Nicotine Isn’t the Enemy: World Expert Corrects a Century of Misconception

By Munyaradzi Blessing Doma A leading French oncologist has called on cancer specialists worldwide to take an active role in Tobacco Harm Reduction and help correct misconceptions about nicotine and its link to cancer. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2025 Technovation Summit in Dubai, Professor David Khayat, an oncologist at Pierre et Marie University in Paris, said oncologists have a duty to promote science-based communication around smoking and nicotine use. We as oncologists have to trust science, and science says nicotine does not cause cancer, so let’s stick to…

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Golden Threads Of Hope: Illuminating Early Detection in Zimbabwe’s Fight Against Childhood Cancer

Healthtimes

By Phillip Hondokosa  September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, marked globally by the gold ribbon – a symbol of courage, resilience, and the fight against childhood cancer. In Zimbabwe, it is more than a symbol: it is a call to action. Childhood cancer is real, and while it cannot always be prevented, it is treatable when detected early. For our nation, where children embody the promise of tomorrow, awareness and timely action can mean the difference between life and loss. One of the greatest challenges we face is the stark…

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Africa CDC to boost NCD Surveillance across 10 countries in East and Southern Africa

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has partnered with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, a Danish enterprise Foundation, to strengthening public health workforce capacity for Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) surveillance across ten African Union (AU) Member States. The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded a grant of USD 2.65m towards the initiative, and the Africa Public Health Foundation (APHF) will act as fund manager for the grant. The two-year initiative (June 2025–May 2027) aims to develop a scalable training program with a plan to expand across…

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1 in 3 Zimbabwean Women Could Be Obese by 2030

Michael Gwarisa
An obese Zimbabwean woman standing outdoors, representing obesity trends in Zimbabwe. Data projects that 1 in 3 Zimbabwean women will be obese by 2030.

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is facing a rapidly escalating public health emergency as new projects indicate that 4.2 million adults will be overweight or obese by 2030 with women being the hardest hit group. An analysis of data from the 2025 World Obesity Atlas scoreboard shows that women are bearing the brunt of this epidemic, with their rates of obesity far surpassing those of men. The projections show a steady climb in high Body Mass Index (BMI) over the past two decades, a trend set to accelerate. By 2030, an…

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Chirembawangu: Zimbabwe’s New Health App Promising To Revolutionize Chronic Illness Care

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa A group of young Zimbabwean innovators is gearing up to transform how people manage chronic illnesses, not in hospitals, but right from their mobile phones. At the heart of this bold digital leap is Chirembawangu, a locally built mobile application and AI-powered platform designed to help patients with diabetes, hypertension, and asthma monitor, manage, and thrive despite their diagnoses. The app is the brainchild of Dr. Webster Alubi, a medical intern at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, and his team at Apexphere Holdings, a budding software company on…

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Zimbabwe NCDs Champions Network Hails NAC’s Kidney Care Support

Michael Gwarisa

By Kuda Pembere The Zimbabwe NCDs Champions Network (ZNCN) has commended the National AIDS Council (NAC) for prioritizing kidney health care for people living with HIV (PLHIV). The Network lauded the move, describing it as a potential game-changer in improving healthcare outcomes for individuals managing the complexities of comorbidities. Decentralizing this model to all provinces will be a watershed moment in promoting health equity, particularly amid concurrent epidemics and pandemics. The Zimbabwe NCDs Champions Network recognizes the dire consequences of these intersecting health crises and urges the government to prioritize…

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16 percent Childhood Asthma Prevalence in Harare: ACACIA Study

Michael Gwarisa

By Kudakwashe Pembere With childhood asthma becoming increasingly prevalent in Africa’s major cities, a new study has found that Harare has a childhood asthma prevalence rate of 16%, the Achieving Control of Asthma in Children in Africa (ACACIA) study findings stated. The study was an observational study aimed at gathering evidence on paediatric asthma in urban areas of Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. These findings help close a significant research gap on childhood asthma in Africa. The study commenced in 2019 and concluded in 2021. Speaking during the…

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I Wasn’t Ready to Go Blind’: Zimbabwean Woman Shares Her Glaucoma Battle

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Sixteen years ago, these words shattered Barbara Manjonjo’s world: “I’m sorry, your condition can’t be corrected with eye spectacles. All you can do now is prepare yourself, you’re going to go blind.” This was her optician delivering the devastating news back in 2009. She was only 37 at the time. Today, she is approaching her 53rd birthday. Never in her life had Barbara imagined that she would one day lose her sight and have to rely on her adolescent daughter to hold her hand as she navigated…

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