Tag: DR DOUGLAS MOMBESHORA

Zimbabwe Moves to Institutionalise Public Health Intelligence with PHIZ Steering Committee

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Government has set up a steering committee for the Public Health Institute of Zimbabwe (PHIZ), with Dr. Raiva Simbi appointed as the coordinator. Other members include Dr. Wenselous Nyamayaro, Dr. Pious Makaya, Dr. Agnes Mahomva, Brigadier General Dr. Godfrey Mutetse, Dr. Prosper Chonzi, Justice Ministry Permanent Secretary Mrs. Nyemba (represented by Salome Chihuri), Clotilda Chimbwanda, Dr. Christopher Pasi, Dr. Richard Makurumidze and Dr. Nyasha Masuka. Non-voting members include Dr. Rooney, Mrs. R. Matewe and Dr. Safi. Officiating at the launch of the steering committee, Health and Child…

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Zimbabwe Pledges Millions for Contraceptives as Health Sector Faces Funding Gaps

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere When donor funding for Zimbabwe’s contraceptive commodities fell sharply over the past two years, the country found itself at a crossroads. For decades, external partners had bankrolled most contraceptive procurement, insulating the national family planning programme from the fiscal shocks that frequently affect the health sector. That cushion is now gone. Against this backdrop, Zimbabwe launched the Contraceptive Cost Recovery Framework Policy in October, signalling an important shift from dependency to domestic responsibility. The policy sets out how the country will mobilise internal resources to meet an…

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New HIV Prevention Injection Expected in January, Minister Mombeshora says

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Following the expeditious registration of the long acting HIV prevention drug Lenacapavir, Zimbabwe is expecting the new injectable to arrive in the country in January next year. Addressing journalists on Friday, Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora said preparations for the roll out have been completed. “Our roll-out plan, I think everything is now in order. Some training has been done for the medical staff and sites have been identified for the roll-out. But we do not have many doses. I think we are expecting…

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Health Minister Warns AMR Could Reverse Medical Progress

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Uncontrolled Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has the potential to reverse decades of medical progress and increase the severity of infections once treatable, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora warned on Thursday. Speaking at the opening of the Zimbabwe Antimicrobial Resistance Scientific Conference, Dr Mombeshora said AMR is more than a public health issue. “Antimicrobial Resistance or AMR is more than a health concern. It is a developmental, agricultural and societal issue. If left unchecked, it could undo decades of progress in medicine and make common infections…

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Health Services Suffer as Budget Remains Unused

Kuda Pembere

By Kudakwashe Pembere As Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube prepares to present the 2026 National Budget, concerns persist over Zimbabwe’s failure to fully utilise health allocations, despite the Ministry of Health and Child Care consistently receiving less than 15 percent of the national budget. According to the 2025 Mid-Term Budget and Economic Review, the Health Ministry had spent only 25 percent of its allocation by mid-year, compared to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, which had already spent 116 percent of its budget. Health Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora has…

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Mhangura Hosts World Contraception Day as Zimbabwe Pushes for Domestic Family Planning Investment

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere in Mhangura Zimbabwe last Friday belatedly marked World Contraception Day in Mhangura with the launch of the country’s Contraceptive Cost Recovery Framework, aimed at improving domestic financing for family planning commodities and services. The commemorations, held at Mhangura Recreational Club, drew hundreds of community members and health stakeholders. Mashonaland West was selected to host the national event to raise awareness on contraception, as the province records one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancies in the country. According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Zimbabwe’s…

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VP Mohadi, Dr. Mombeshora Pledge Hospital Rehabilitation After Bulawayo Tour

Healthtimes

By Rukudzo Gota Top Zimbabwean Government officials toured hospital facilities in Bulawayo to assess the provision of services in the metropolitan province. Vice President Kembo Mohadi and Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora last week visited Cowdray Park Mini-Hospital, United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH), Mpilo Central Hospital, and Ingutsheni Central Hospital. The tour followed a series of visits to central hospitals in Harare Metropolitan Province by the Health Minister. President Emmerson Mnangagwa had earlier made impromptu visits to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. The visits…

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Zimbabwe Faces Fertility Decline as Global Childbearing Crisis Deepens

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is experiencing a demographic shift in terms of fertility rate, in line with global trends, as more people struggle to achieve their reproductive goals. According to the 2024 State of the World Population (SWP) report by UNFPA, the world is undergoing a fertility crisis where individuals are increasingly unable to have the number of children they want, when they want, or with whom they want. Back home, the country’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has seen a steady decline from 4.3 children per woman in 1994 to…

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Zimbos Abantu Unveils Mobile Clinics to Serve Marginalized Communities in Harare

Michael Gwarisa

By Kuda Pembere Zimbos Abantu, a social enterprise dedicated to delivering medical services to underserved areas in Harare, has launched a fleet of mobile clinics to be deployed across the city. Staffed by nurses, nursing assistants, and doctors, the mobile clinics will provide essential health screenings, including checks for blood pressure, diabetes, and HIV, among other services. This initiative comes at a critical time, as central hospitals are increasingly overwhelmed by patients presenting with advanced stages of disease due to delayed care. Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Health…

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Zimbabwe Secures US$12M ARVs Amid Funding Cuts – Shipment Arrives in June

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere, recently in Chinhoyi With concerns mounting over potential shortages of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) following the United States Government’s funding cuts, Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora has reassured Zimbabweans that there will be no disruptions in supply. He confirmed that the government has already procured ARVs worth US$12 million, expected to arrive by the end of June. Speaking at a National AIDS Council (NAC) journalists’ workshop in Chinhoyi on Friday, Minister Mombeshora emphasized that the current stock would last until June, with additional procurement ensuring availability…

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