Tag: maternal mortality

Why Reforming the Termination of Pregnancy Act Can No Longer Wait

Michael Gwarisa

By Edinah Masiyiwa I have been closely following recent developments on access to safe abortion for women and girls in Zimbabwe. As I reflect on the Women’s Action Group’s (WAG) campaign on safe abortion in the early 1990s, I am encouraged by how far the country has come on this issue. When WAG advocated for access to safe abortion then, the organisation faced intense opposition that ultimately silenced the public campaign. Quiet, behind-the-scenes advocacy continued, eventually resulting in post-abortion care being adopted as a key component of reproductive health services—an…

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Zim Parliament Passes Major Amendments to Abortion Law

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The National Assembly has approved significant amendments to the Termination of Pregnancy Act [Chapter 15:10] (1977), marking a major step toward modernising Zimbabwe’s reproductive health laws. The changes were introduced under the Medical Services Bill, 2025, and are aimed at aligning the outdated 1977 legislation with the Constitution of Zimbabwe (2013) and current public health realities. The amendments, introduced by Hon. Edwin Mushoriwa of Dzivaresekwa Constituency, were passed in the National Assembly on 23 October 2025. The Bill now moves to the Senate for consideration before being…

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Zimbabwe’s Data-to-Policy Insights Reveal Solutions to Curb Maternal Mortality, Costly Cancer Diagnoses, Unregistered Deaths & Rising GBV Cases

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Amid critical gaps in key health and social indicators, findings from a four-month-long Data-to-Policy training program have underscored the urgent need for policy interventions, Health Times has learned. The Data-to-Policy program, launched by Vital Strategies in collaboration with the United States Centers for Disease Control Foundation and the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat), aims to promote evidence-based policymaking in Zimbabwe’s healthcare and social sectors. Speaking on behalf of the ZimStat Director General at the Data-to-Policy Dissemination Forum in Harare, ZimStat’s Demography and Social Statistics Director, Mr. Aluwisio…

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5.7 percent drop in Zim’s maternal mortality rate between 2000 and 2020

Kuda Pembere

MATERNAL mortality in Zimbabwe has been on the low due to concerted efforts by government, development partners and civil society which has seen it come down from 388 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births in 2000 to 357 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births in 2020. By Kudakwashe Pembere According a joint report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Bank Group and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA/Population Division) dubbed Trends in…

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