By Michael Gwarisa A digital platform designed to help screen artisanal miners for silicosis has won the third edition of the Cimas Healthathon, putting a spotlight on the potential of locally developed technology to address some of Zimbabwe’s most persistent healthcare challenges. SilicaGuard, developed by two Chinhoyi University of Technology
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 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
By Michael Gwarisa For decades, the condom has been one of the most recognisable symbols of the global fight against HIV. Cheap, effective and relatively easy to distribute, condoms have been at the centre of prevention programmes that helped drive down new HIV infections across the world. But a new
By Staff Reporter The Ministry of Health and Child Care has dismissed as false a social media message claiming that Zimbabwe is recording a resurgence in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The ministry said claims of COVID-19 deaths at Mpilo Central Hospital and alleged cases at Salem Gama Central Hospital were
By Michael Gwarisa Another nurses’ strike could be looming in Zimbabwe after health workers accused Government of failing to honour agreements on the review of sector-specific allowances and the handling of a controversial job evaluation exercise. The Zimbabwe Nurses Association, ZINA, together with the Health Apex Team and other health
By Michael Gwarisa The scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may be far greater than official figures suggest, with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warning that the disease was circulating for months before the outbreak was officially detected. Africa CDC
By Michael Gwarisa The United States has announced nearly US$2 billion in new health and humanitarian assistance for faith-based and community organisations working across some of the world’s most difficult environments, in what Washington says is its largest allocation of global health foreign assistance to faith-based organisations in more than
By Kuda Pembere When Sarudzai walked into a youth centre in Hurungwe, she was not looking for a debate about Zimbabwe’s abortion laws. She was looking for help. Four months pregnant with her third child, the 22-year-old mother of two had already made up her mind that she wanted to
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is recording nearly 12,000 influenza cases a week during the current seasonal peak, but the Ministry of Health and Child Care says there is no evidence that the country is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak. The ministry says laboratory testing conducted in cases where COVID-19 was clinically
By Kuda Pembere ZIMBABWE has updated its national essential medicines framework and introduced new adult oncology treatment guidelines as Government moves to keep pace with changing disease patterns, advances in medical treatment and growing pressure on the health system. Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora last Thursday launched
By Alice Mudzingwa WINDHOEK, Namibia – Southern African leaders and development partners have urged governments to translate resolutions from the Sixth Southern African Regional Students and Youth Conference (SARSYC VI) into concrete policies and programmes that improve youth health, education and wellbeing across the region. Speaking at the official ceremony
By Michael Gwarisa For more than a year, 59-year-old Lilian Leonel has lived on the streets of Maré, one of Rio de Janeiro's largest favela complexes. Her journey there, she says, was shaped by a complicated mix of personal struggles, family circumstances and drug use. But Leonel is quick to
By Kuda Pembere in Goromonzi WITH Zimbabwe still recovering from the 2023/24 drought and bracing for renewed climate shocks, Government and UNICEF have launched a two-year, Chinese-funded programme targeting more than 212,000 people in drought-affected districts. The initiative, financed through China’s Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, will be implemented
By Kuda Pembere AS Zimbabwe begins implementing its Second National Health Strategy (NHS) 2026-2030, Government has called for a shift from planning to execution, saying the country's success will be measured by tangible improvements in healthcare services and the quality of life of its citizens. Health and Child Care Minister
By Kuda Pembere At a time when Zimbabwe lacks a stand-alone legal framework governing comprehensive menstrual health management, Government says it is considering developing one that could eventually become an Act of Parliament. Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Senator Monica Mutsvangwa made the announcement while
By Alice Mudzingwa WINDHOEK, Namibia – Delegates at the Sixth Southern African Regional Students and Youth Conference (SARSYC VI) have called for stronger regional collaboration, evidence-based policymaking and greater investment in youth-led solutions to address emerging health and education challenges facing young people across Southern Africa. The calls were made
By Kuda Pembere The Ministry of Health and Child Care and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Monday identified immunisation, community health and the reintegration of returning Zimbabweans from South Africa as key areas for expanded cooperation. The discussions took place during a courtesy
By Michael Gwarisa The United States Embassy has challenged the Zimbabwean government's account of why it rejected a proposed multi-million-dollar health assistance agreement, marking the latest development in an ongoing dispute over a deal that would have supported HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and other public health programmes. The Embassy's response follows
By Kuda Pembere When Sarudzai walked into a youth centre in Hurungwe, she was not looking for a debate about Zimbabwe’s abortion laws. She was looking for help. Four months
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is recording nearly 12,000 influenza cases a week during the current seasonal peak, but the Ministry of Health and Child Care says there is no evidence
By Kuda Pembere ZIMBABWE has updated its national essential medicines framework and introduced new adult oncology treatment guidelines as Government moves to keep pace with changing disease patterns, advances in
By Alice Mudzingwa WINDHOEK, Namibia – Southern African leaders and development partners have urged governments to translate resolutions from the Sixth Southern African Regional Students and Youth Conference (SARSYC VI)
By Michael Gwarisa For more than a year, 59-year-old Lilian Leonel has lived on the streets of Maré, one of Rio de Janeiro's largest favela complexes. Her journey there, she
By Kuda Pembere in Goromonzi WITH Zimbabwe still recovering from the 2023/24 drought and bracing for renewed climate shocks, Government and UNICEF have launched a two-year, Chinese-funded programme targeting more