By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has enacted sweeping amendments to the Medical Services Act that will require private hospitals to provide life-saving emergency treatment to critically ill patients regardless of their ability to pay, marking one of the country's most significant health law reforms in recent years. The Medical Services Amendment
By Michael Gwarisa When Lydia Zigomo, the UNFPA Regional Director for East and Southern Africa arrived in Zimbabwe for her recent high-level mission, her schedule appeared much like that of many senior United Nations officials. There were meetings with government ministers, engagements with development partners, discussions with young people, visits
By Michael Gwarisa Nearly seven in ten Zimbabweans who previously used daily oral HIV prevention pills abandoned treatment because of the burden of taking medication every day, a new survey has revealed, adding fresh evidence that long-acting injectable HIV prevention could transform the country's fight against new HIV infections. The
By Kuda Pembere, recently in Shamva When Rhoda (not her real name) fell in love with a 19-year-old artisanal miner at the age of 15, she believed she had found a future. Instead, she dropped out of school, became pregnant and was abandoned before her baby was born. Today, at
By Marceline Mukwamba In Zimbabwe, conversations about termination of pregnancy often begin and end with moral discomfort. Too often, they are shaped by silence, fear, misinformation and stigma rather than by the law, medical evidence, constitutional values and compassion for survivors. Yet for a woman or girl who becomes pregnant
By Michael Gwarisa Malawi has received its first shipment of lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable HIV prevention medicine, with enough doses expected to protect 38,000 people, marking another milestone in Africa's rollout of one of the most significant advances in HIV prevention in decades. The arrival of the first of two
By Michael Gwarisa WHO has officially declared the recent hantavirus outbreak over after the last person known to have been exposed to the virus completed quarantine and tested negative. Announcing the development, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the final identified contact linked to the outbreak had safely
By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe has received cervical cancer diagnostic equipment and cholera treatment tents worth approximately US$350,000 from the World Health Organization (WHO), a major boost to the country's efforts to strengthen cancer care and emergency disease response. The cervical cancer equipment was secured under the Women Integrated Cancer Services
By Michael Gwarisa in Goromonzi A hush settled over the grounds of Goromonzi High School on a chilly Monday morning in the third week of June 2026 as government officials, development partners, traditional leaders, health workers and students gathered to launch Zimbabwe's National Multi-Sectoral Framework for the Prevention and Management
By Michael Gwarisa The Southern African Doctors for Human Rights (SADHR) and Amnesty International have called for urgent protection of migrants, refugees and foreign nationals in South Africa amid escalating violence, discrimination and human rights violations. The organisations expressed deep concern over reports of attacks, intimidation, forced internal displacement and
By Staff Reporter Cimas Health Group has opened registration for Cimas Healthathon 3.0, inviting innovators across Zimbabwe to develop practical, technology-driven solutions aimed at improving healthcare access, affordability and service delivery. Running under the theme “Reimagining Healthcare Through Disruptive Innovation,” the challenge targets innovation hubs, start-ups, university technology teams, software
By Michael Gwarisa in Gweru Traditional leaders have called for the alignment of Zimbabwe’s laws with customary law, arguing that this would empower chiefs to take stronger action against child marriages in their communities. They say the current legal system is undermining their efforts, as cases they help build at
By Staff Reporter After years of delays, debate and thousands of public submissions, the Portfolio Committee on Health on Wednesday voted in favour of the desirability of the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill. However, several MPs made it clear their support is dependent on significant amendments, particularly
By Alice Mudzingwa At least 34 students from 17 private and public tertiary institutions across Zimbabwe have gathered in Harare for the 8th edition of the Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) National Universities Quiz Challenge. The prestigious two-day competition, which began today at the SAYWHAT
By Michael Gwarisa What began as a youth-led campaign in one province is increasingly evolving into a national movement reshaping how traditional leaders respond to child marriage across Zimbabwe. From roadside billboards carrying anti-child marriage messages to new village by-laws, and strengthened accountability systems, chiefs say the Not In My
By Kuda Pembere in Mash Central On a cool Monday morning, Christabel Chiweso arrives at Wadzanayi Clinic, a health facility run by the Shamva Rural District Council. This time, she is not seeking a family planning method for herself. Instead, she has accompanied her sister-in-law, who wants to start using
By Michael Gwarisa The Government of Zimbabwe has launched a National Multi-Sectoral Framework for the Prevention and Management of Adolescent Pregnancies, describing the initiative as a decisive national response to one of the country’s most urgent public health and development challenges. The framework seeks to coordinate action across government ministries,
By Kudakwashe Pembere in Mash Central The explosion came without warning. One moment, Regina (not her real name) was helping her aunt carry a log of firewood in Rushinga. The next, she was lying on the ground in agony, her lower leg blown off by a landmine hidden beneath the
By Sky News (reported) Australian authorities are investigating a suspected case of bird flu in Western Australia after a wild migratory bird tested positive for a possible H5 avian influenza infection, raising fresh concerns about the global spread of the virus. The detection was confirmed on Friday by Minister for
By Memory Pamella Kadau Deleting Clause 11 did not delete the need for it. It did not delete Memory in Guruve, a 16-year-old girl trying to understand whether the law protects her after a pregnancy caused by sexual abuse, while adults around her speak in whispers, clinics speak in caution,
By Michael Gwarisa African leaders, donors and international partners have pledged US$910 million towards containing the growing Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, with health officials warning that delays in releasing funds could sharply escalate both infections and costs. The commitments were announced following
By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe has received specialised children's rehabilitation equipment worth more than US$170,000 from the Government of South Korea, a development expected to improve treatment and rehabilitation services for children living with cerebral palsy across the country. The equipment was handed over at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital through the
By Own Correspondent A growing number of Zimbabwean students are making a deliberate and confident choice when it comes to higher education - Texila American University Zambia (TAUZ) in Lusaka. What is particularly striking is not just the numbers, but the reasons behind this shift. For many Zimbabwean school leavers,
By Michael Gwarisa The world promised never again after COVID-19. But the most important part of that promise, the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex, remains unfinished. WHO and Brazil are now urging G7, G20 and BRICS leaders to “finish what we started” before the next pandemic strikes. The
By Kuda Pembere As he walks into the classroom, the room falls silent. A silence that settles whenever a figure of authority steps into the space. Rows of inmates sit shoulder to shoulder, carefully writing letters and numbers into neatly covered exercise books. The room is bright, orderly and filled
By Staff Reporter The streets of Senga and Matongo in Gweru are usually filled with the high-pitched laughter of children making their way home from school. But this week, a heavy silence has replaced the usual afternoon chatter. Last Wednesday, that routine walk home turned into tragedy when a commuter
By Chaplain Simbarashe P. Chenjerai As the world marks Men’s Health Month and reflects on the contribution of men during June, 21 June presents an important opportunity to acknowledge the often-overlooked role that men continue to play in society. Throughout history, men have served as providers, protectors, builders, innovators, leaders,
By Temba Otichil’lo In May 2026, as health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan raised the alarm over a new Ebola “Bundibugyo” outbreak, one company in the DRC’s remote interior did not wait to be told what to do. Plantations et Huileries du Congo SA
By Kudakwashe Pembere in Mash Central The explosion came without warning. One moment, Regina (not her real name) was helping her aunt carry a log of firewood in Rushinga. The
By Sky News (reported) Australian authorities are investigating a suspected case of bird flu in Western Australia after a wild migratory bird tested positive for a possible H5 avian influenza
By Memory Pamella Kadau Deleting Clause 11 did not delete the need for it. It did not delete Memory in Guruve, a 16-year-old girl trying to understand whether the law
By Michael Gwarisa African leaders, donors and international partners have pledged US$910 million towards containing the growing Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, with
By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe has received specialised children's rehabilitation equipment worth more than US$170,000 from the Government of South Korea, a development expected to improve treatment and rehabilitation services for
By Own Correspondent A growing number of Zimbabwean students are making a deliberate and confident choice when it comes to higher education - Texila American University Zambia (TAUZ) in Lusaka.