By Kuda Pembere The Harare Institute of Public Health (HIPH) has upgraded its computer laboratory from an 80-seater to a 120-seater facility as it moves to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based learning and research. The upgraded laboratory, equipped with modern computers, is expected to give students greater access to technology and

By Michael Gwarisa When a woman or girl becomes pregnant after rape, the questions can come quickly. Can she legally terminate the pregnancy? Does she have to report the rape first? Does she need permission from her husband or parents? Can she simply go to a hospital? What happens if

By Michael Gwarisa The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says it remains confident that the continent can safely host the Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) in Addis Ababa in November, despite the rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The

By Michael Gwarisa HARARE-Battle lines have been drawn for the Cimas Healthathon 3.0 grand finale, with 10 teams set to go head-to-head tomorrow in a contest that organisers say could produce the next generation of digital solutions for Zimbabwe’s healthcare system. The finalists emerged from a field of 372 submissions

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe has commissioned a new medical waste incinerator at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals capable of processing up to 187 kilogrammes of medical waste per hour, as the country moves to strengthen healthcare waste management and infection prevention. The incinerator is one of three constructed under a US$2.2

By Michael Gwarisa The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new formulation of the HIV medicine dolutegravir for use in newborns from birth through four weeks of age, expanding treatment options for one of the most vulnerable groups at risk of HIV infection. The approval covers Tivicay

By Michael Gwarisa “Sometimes we go the whole day without eating because there is no food at school.” For one learner in Buhera District, the reality of school feeding is summed up in a single sentence. For children who depend on meals provided at school, the availability of food can

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is considering introducing colour-coded food labels that would make it easier for parents and caregivers to identify foods high in sugar, salt and fat, as the Government moves to strengthen regulation of unhealthy food products and their marketing to children. The proposed system would use familiar

By Michael Gwarisa For a survivor of rape, the assault may last minutes or hours. Its consequences can last much longer. Sometimes, those consequences are visible. There may be physical injuries, the need for medical treatment or concerns about sexually transmitted infections and HIV. Other consequences are less visible. Fear,

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe’s medical fraternity is mourning the death of Dr Booker Kambarami, one of the country’s pioneering specialists in obstetrics and gynaecology, who died on August 15. He was 76. In a condolence message issued on Sunday, the Ministry of Health and Child Care's Permanent Secretary Dr Aspect

Zimbabwe’s Abortion Law After Rape: What Changed, What Didn’t and What Survivors Need to Know By Michael Gwarisa Early in 2026, Zimbabwe’s abortion debate moved from the margins into Parliament. At the centre of the controversy was Clause 11 of the Medical Services Amendment Bill, a provision that ignited intense

By Kuda Pembere in Mt Darwin A CancerServe-organised medical outreach at Karanda Mission Hospital reached 267 people on Friday, offering free screening, consultations and other health services, with a strong focus on cancer and other non-communicable diseases. CancerServe is a private voluntary organisation established to help address gaps in cancer

By Michael Gwarisa in Beitbridge Seventy-year-old Gogo Lucia Changunda walks with a limp as she slowly pushes a wheelbarrow laden with food items and dignity kits. After moving only a few metres from the distribution point, where Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) staff, International Federation of Red Cross and Red

By Michael Gwarisa Tariro is only 19. A few weeks ago, she was on cloud nine. She had just been accepted into university to study law. After years of hard work, good grades and determination, the future seemed to be falling into place. She had plans, the kind that belong

By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe's progress in reducing maternal mortality must now be matched by stronger efforts to save newborns, with researchers in obstetrics and gynaecology challenged to move beyond scientific papers and produce evidence-based solutions that can be translated into health policies and practical interventions as the country works towards

By Kuda Pembere Nineteen specialists in obstetrics and gynaecology have graduated from the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ECSACOG), with 12 of them coming from Zimbabwe. A further 27 fellows and members were inducted into the college, marking a significant milestone in the development of

By Michael Gwarisa Population Services Zimbabwe (PSZ) has opened a new clinic in Harare’s Central Business District, expanding access to sexual and reproductive health, primary healthcare and non-communicable disease services for people who live and work in the city centre. The clinic, located at Eastgate Mall, will provide a range

By Michael Gwarisa A nurse-led outreach programme in rural Zimbabwe screened more than 1,100 women living with HIV for cervical cancer in a year, with seven in 10 accessing the service through outreach clinics, new data has shown. The programme, implemented through Kamutsenzere Rural Health Centre and nine outreach sites

By Michael Gwarisa Africa is preparing to write a new chapter in its public health story—one defined less by dependency and vulnerability and increasingly by African leadership, science, innovation and the determination to take ownership of the continent's health future. That ambition will take centre stage when the 5th International

By Michael Gwarisa For 22 years, Martha Tholanah has lived with HIV. When she was diagnosed on January 3, 2003, the future looked bleak. She had fallen ill and gone for an HIV test shortly before starting a new job. Her CD4 count was just 31, indicating severe immune suppression