Category: Op Ed

A special feature section for guest columnists

The “Ndiro ya Baba” Phenomenon:…A closer look at the intra household food distribution in Zimbabwe

Healthtimes

TO those who have had a stint with rural life you might have across these phrases, “Musana Wehuku Ndewababa,” loosely translated as “only the father or man of the house is the one who eats the entire Chicken’s back.” In Masvingo it’s called Chiteretere and in some households, women have even been sent packing for wrongly allocating chicken portions. By Dr Tonde Matsungo (PhD, MPhil, BSc) and Dexter Chagwena To consume the entire Chicken’s back, a humongous mountain of Sadza has to complement the meal. The practice whereby the father…

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Relationships : The Family (Part 1)

Healthtimes

Relationships are the way which two or more people are connected. Young people are in many relationships. The relationships that young people have include family, friendships, dating and courtship. By Fadzayi Maposah Family is where young people start interaction with other people. Families come in various forms: the nuclear family made up of both parents, single parent families, child headed families and the extended family. These days the family is under a lot of reconstruction with many demands, strains and pressures upon it. The family, peers and the society play…

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COVID-19 VACCINATION: The Facts

Healthtimes

THE COVID-19 third wave has been something else in Zimbabwe. It has exceeded the damage causes by the first and second waves combined by a huge margin, and many lives have been claimed. Several families have lost two or more members, and the extent of social disruption is unimaginable. I have come across families that have lost both parents, young couples have been disrupted, pregnant mothers have departed from us, and some have left their neonates. This indeed has been a very sad time for us Zimbabweans, and has been…

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Building Self Esteem As A young Person

Healthtimes

IT is not easy being a young person in this day and age. Young people face many challenges growing up. At times they are treated like children and at times they are treated like adults so long as the person who is dealing with them stands to benefit. By Fadzayi Maposah One issue that affects young people today is the issue of self -esteem especially low self- esteem. Self- esteem is the value that we put on ourselves, it includes the way we think, the way we perceive, feel and…

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Corona Yava Kuda Kuita Muonera Pamwe, Chuma Chemuzukuru

Healthtimes
Dr Grant Murewanhema

NYIKA yaminama iyi. Kunze kwaita chikara, Dzihwamupengo rasiya misodzi pamatama evana vevanhu. Vamwe ndivo vari kuti midzimu yatifuratira. Vamwe ndivo vari kuti mwari atipira gotsi. Hapana achaziva maperero azvo. Chinhu chimwechete chandinoda kukudzai ndechekuti nerimwe remazuva, kunyange iro Denda re COVID iri richapera tikadzokera pedu pakare paye. Kasi zvinoda kuti tibatirane pamwechete. Na Sekuru Grant Murewanhema Ngatirambei tichishanda pamwe chete kudzivirira kuwedzera kuparara kwechidzihwamupengo chadai kutekeshera nyika yose. Chirwere ichi chiri kuramba chichititorera vadikani vedu, vavakidzani nehama neshamwari, zvinova zvinhu zvinorwadza samare. Ngatirambei tichiyeuchidzana kupfeka mamask zvakanaka, kumira takasiya nhanho…

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Zimbabwe Needs To Strengthen Public Health Sector Capacity and Resilience beyond the 3rd Wave: Lessons not learnt from the previous waves

Healthtimes

THE past week or two have particularly been rough for Zimbabwe. 20 people were lost in a horrific road traffic accident, and hundreds more succumbed to COVID-19. Unfortunately, all-cause mortality is probably much higher. Our focus has been so much on COVID-19 over the past 18 months and we seem to have forgotten about our high burden of HIV, malaria and other infectious diseases. Good news is Zimbabwe was removed from the list of high tuberculosis burden countries in the past week; congratulations to the AIDS and TB unit, their…

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COVID Third Wave Requires Social Media Influencers, Religious Leaders To Share Information Responsibly

Healthtimes

ZIMBABWE and most of Africa are currently in their third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike the first two, the current wave has had a very rapid spread across Africa, and also seems to be having a higher fatality rate. Zimbabwe has seen the highest numbers ever reported this week, reporting a record high of over 2600 cases in the past 24 hours, with 55 deaths. By Dr Grant Murewanhema There has also been widespread community transmission, with all 10 provinces reporting quite significant numbers of cases. Unlike in the…

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Vaccination, Adherence To Covid-19 Regulations Solution To Ending The Pandemic

Healthtimes

ENDING the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe requires communities, whether in rural areas or cities, to religiously adhere to regulations pronounced by the government, getting vaccinated as well as following guidelines issued by WHO on the disease, which has claimed over 3 million lives globally. By Itai Josh Rusike Following recent upsurge of Covid-19 cases in some parts of the country and the subsequent localized lockdowns, the government introduced new level measures. But such measures, though important, are not enough when people lack adequate information about the virus. Lack of…

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As The Third Wave Wreaks Havoc, Lets Act Responsibly To Reduce & Break Chains Of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission

Healthtimes

AFTER a period of relative stability from March to May 2021, Zimbabwe entered into the much dreaded third wave of the COVID-19 local epidemic. The current wave, which began at the beginning of June, has seen a substantial rise in the number of confirmed and hospitalised cases and fatalities over the past three weeks. By Dr Grant Murewanhema Reports of full or overwhelmed health facilities have started emerging, with increasing numbers of symptomatic people with severe to critical illness. Sadly, in the past seven days, we have also two medical…

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Open Up Space For Adolescents To Access SRHR Services

Healthtimes

RECENTLY, I was saddened to read that a dead infant was found during a burst sewer pipe at a primary school in Bulawayo. I imagined the state of hopelessness the parent must have felt to resort to infanticide. And I felt angry about the lack of prioritization of women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), especially during this time of COVID-19 lockdowns, that may have contributed to this horrific outcome. By Edinah Masiyiwa The insufficient attention to women’s and girls’ needs and disruptions in health systems during…

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