Tag: NAC

NAC Hands Over Blood and Renal Units to Parirenyatwa Hospital

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The National AIDS Council (NAC) has officially handed over two critical health projects, a Family Blood Bank and a Renal Diagnostic Unit, to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, in a move set to boost the quality of healthcare services in Zimbabwe. Speaking at the handover ceremony on Tuesday, NAC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Bernard Madzima said the new facilities represent NAC’s commitment to strengthening the country’s health system beyond the HIV and AIDS response. We are gathered here to…

Read More

Zim Has Enough ARVs to Last Through 2025, Says Health Minister Mombeshora

Michael Gwarisa

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe has enough antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to last through the end of 2025, Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora said Friday, allaying public concerns over a looming shortage. Speaking to HealthTimes, Mombeshora assured the nation that the country has an eight-month supply of adult ARVs, sufficient to meet the needs of more than 1.1 million people living with HIV who are on first-line treatment. We have procured and secured enough medicines for 2024,” said Mombeshora at a workshop organized by the National AIDS Council (NAC). “We…

Read More

From NAC Media Tour to University: How a HealthTimes Article Opened University Doors for Karoi Girl

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Sometimes, all it takes for a destiny helper to find you is being at the right place at the right time. For Cecilia Mhande (20), from Karoi in Mashonaland West Province, it took her willingness to share her story as a beneficiary of the Sista2Sista program with journalists during the 2024 National AIDS Council (NAC) Editors Media Tour. In 2023, when the Advanced Level (A Level) results were announced, Cecilia was overjoyed to discover she had passed with 11 points. However, her happiness was short-lived, as the…

Read More

Zimbabwe Sex Workers Resort to Baby Socks Amid Condom Shortages In Communities

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Sex workers in Zimbabwe claim they have resorted to using unconventional methods, including baby socks, as contraceptives due to condom shortages in some communities. While the government denies any national shortage, localized supply issues have been reported. These shortages are attributed to several factors, including delayed restocking by health facilities, hoarding by some sex workers, and healthcare workers allegedly misappropriating condoms. Communities such as Epworth, Mutare, Masvingo, Harare, and Seke have been particularly affected, with sex workers raising alarms about the dire situation. Speaking to HealthTimes, Precious…

Read More

Rising STI Cases Threaten to Reverse HIV Gains in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The surge in new Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) is a clear indication that Zimbabweans may be engaging in unprotected sex, a trend that could reverse the HIV gains recorded so far, top health officials have warned. Between January and June 2024, Zimbabwe recorded the highest number of new STI cases, with some infections showing resistance to available antibiotics. This was confirmed by Mr. Sinokuthemba Xaba, the National Condom and Male Circumcision Coordinator in the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), during a media training session for…

Read More

Zimbabwe’s Zvandiri HIV Care Model Helps Bend HIV Trajectory in Africa’s Children

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The Zvandiri model, a peer-led program focused on children, adolescents, and young adults living with HIV aged 0-24, was launched in Zimbabwe 2o years ago mainly as a vehicle to increase and improve access to treatment and care for children and young persons living with HIV. The model Zvandiri is implemented by young people aged 18 to 24  known as Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters (CATS). They are trained and mentored to support their peers throughout the HIV care continuum through support groups, home visits, phone call reminders,…

Read More

#Breaking: Donors About To Pull The Plug On Condom Funding In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa One of the major funders for HIV and AIDS programs in Zimbabwe, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has notified the Zimbabwean government that it will terminate funding for condom programming within the next 30 months, HealthTimes has learnt. Popularly known as Madhimbare mainly because of their blue and white packaging, public sector condoms serve the biggest number of condom users in Zimbabwe especially those at high risk of HIV infection mainly Female Sex Workers (FSW), Artisanal Miners, Truck Drivers among other HIV key…

Read More

SAfAIDS Unveils Social Contracting Framework for Effective HIV Response

Healthtimes

By Ntokozo Gudu in Mutare SAfAIDS and Zimbabwe Community Health Intervention Research ( ZCHIRe) convened a capacity strengthening dialogue for stakeholders to effectively disseminate and implement the Social Contracting guidelines under the banner of the United for Protection Coalition, in Mutare recently. The dialogue was targeting the National AIDS Council as the key institution for decision making on social contracting, bringing together Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on how to effectively input into the existing guidelines. The conversation highlighted the need to increase domestic financial resources and expand  revenue streams to…

Read More

Restoring Smiles Among HIV-Positive Employees: Lake Harvest’s Workplace HIV and Wellness Program Pays Dividends

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Kariba As the 2030 target to end AIDS draws near, numerous interventions are being implemented across the globe in a bid to fast-track progress towards reaching the ambitious target. For companies operating in hard-hit regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, HIV/AIDS has had major consequences on profitability and productivity of companies due to increased cases of absenteeism and AIDS-related deaths among the productive age groups. The UNAIDS acknowledges that HIV/AIDS is not just a public health issue but rather a workplace issue and a development challenge that…

Read More

United For Prevention Coalition Sensitises Parliament on Need to Integrate Drug and Substance Abuse In the National HIV Prevention Response

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to capacitate members of Parliament with information and share the latest data and trends regarding the scourge of drug and substance abuse in Zimbabwe, SAFAIDS recently held a one-day capacity-building workshop with members from the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health. While traditional methods of administering drugs and substances such as smoking and ingestion remain prevalent, the latest trends such as drug injection and Bluetooth or Flashblood whereby a syringe full of intoxicated blood is passed from someone who has just injected heroin to someone…

Read More