REPRODUCTIVE |

Making the schools’ sanitary wear budget work for girls

November 3, 2022 Healthtimes

In 2020 there was a landmark development in the menstrual health management space, following the signing of the Education Amendment Act into law by President Mnangagwa. We celebrated Section 4(1a) of the Act which requires the State to “ensure the provision of sanitary wear and other menstrual health facilities to girls in all schools to promote menstrual health.” This legislation makes it a legal obligation for government to provide free sanitary wear to all school girls. By Theresa Nyava-Machadu The background of this legislation is that many school girls were…

Media Trained On Improved Attitudes Towards Safe Abortion

November 2, 2022 Healthtimes

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists together with the Population Services Zimbabwe (PSZ) held a three day media training workshop to improve the knowledge and attitude towards safe abortion in Zimbabwe. By Patricia Mashiri The training termed the Value Clarification Attitudes Transformation (VCAT) was also centred on discussions around religious and cultural beliefs around abortion, the legal framework that guide abortion in Zimbabwe and how to report sensitively on the issue so as to change the attitudes of the society . Mrs Edna Masiyiwa, the Women’s Action Group (WAG)…

Going Beyond The Legal Framework On Abortion To Save Lives of Women and Girls

October 27, 2022October 27, 2022 Healthtimes

By Edinah Masiyiwa Nokutenda Hwaramba was a 15-year-old girl who recently died at a shrine whilst giving birth. Her life, like that of other pregnant girls giving birth in shrines, was cut short for preventable causes and this angers me so much. One of the reasons given for why girls like Nokutenda did not deliver safely in a health center is “church doctrine,”’ which left them under the care of untrained religious people. One wonders why such a doctrine is still allowed in Zimbabwe, a country which signed the Maputo…

Number of babies dying at birth increase in Zimbabwe

October 27, 2022October 27, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

Women not booking at ANC facilities early leading to complications Exodus of healthcare staff leads to poor quality of care for pregnant women THE number of babies dying during birth, moments before birth or a few weeks before and after being born has been going up over the past five years in Zimbabwe largely due to a myriad of factors ranging from failure by pregnant women to book at the ANC on time, infection of babies before, during and after birth as well as declining quality of care in health…

All You Need To Know About Breast Cancer

October 24, 2022 Healthtimes

By Marjory Haruwandwi Bayayi: Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Science Student at University Of Zimbabwe Breast cancer is the uncontrolled proliferation (increase) of cells and it comes in various forms. This is determined by the location of cancer in the breast. A breast is made of three main parts namely the lobules, ducts, and connective tissue. The lobules are linked to the ducts. The ducts are thin tubes where milk flows from the lobules leading to the nipple. The breast has no muscle. Most cancers develop in the ducts or…

Values clarification workshops to improve abortion knowledge and attitudes: Post assessment

October 24, 2022 Healthtimes

By Mufaro Musiyazviriyo The Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1977 states that it is illegal to terminate a pregnancy unless it has been sanctioned by Government authorities which includes, the court and state hospitals agreeing that the pregnancy in question was as a result of unlawful intercourse (rape/incest). The Act also allows for termination of pregnancy if the pregnancy endangers the life of the women or the child to be born will suffer from a physical or mental defect of such a nature that they will permanently be seriously handicapped.…

Abortion conversation must recognize women’s bodily autonomy and integrity

October 21, 2022 Healthtimes

By Memory Pamella Kadau The previous installments touched on the legal regime regulating abortion in Zimbabwe having previously established that abortion doesn’t pose a moral dilemma. If anything, abortion services are part of the basic health needs for tens of thousands of women each year in Zimbabwe. That the law proscribes safe abortion by choice, limiting it to exceptional cases of medical emergencies, rape and incest is an act of injustice which undermines this right. This article will look at the dimension of how existing abortion regulation undermines the fundamental…

Curtain comes down on Regional SRHR Symposium…As Sweden Assesses New Funding Proposal For 2gether4SRHR Program

October 15, 2022October 15, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

THE three day Regional Symposium on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR),has come to an end amidst growing calls for increased investment and creation of an enabling policy framework that allows for the smooth implementation of SRHR programs in the East and Southern African region (ESAR). By Michael Gwarisa in Victoria Falls The symposium was hosted by the Ministry of Health and Child Care and organized by UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO under the banner of the Joint UN Regional 2gether 4 SRHR Programme. Over 200 delegates from across 24…

Unsafe Abortion – The Hidden Health Crisis

October 13, 2022 Healthtimes

By Dr M Murwira In the early years of my medical career, it was always exciting to start a new role in the various medical specialties at a Central Hospital. As such, I was looking forward to the experience of working in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department. However, my first Gynecology department night shift was a baptism of fire. In the emergency ward, multiple sick women lying on stretcher beds and on the floor awaited me. It was a horrific experience to see both young and mature women crying, writhing…