ZAOGA’s Pastor Gandawa Speaks On Four Decades Journey With Infertility

Ntokozo Gudu

The general assumption is that men and women of the cloth are immune to certain life’s challenges and upheavals. Well, that is not the case. No one is immune to problems, especially health problems  such as infertility. Infertility is not a respecter of men and can affect anyone at any given time regardless of one’s social status, race, culture or creed. By Nthokozo Gudu Since the biblical old testament days, women  with infertility or those who failed to bear children were stigmatized against and labelled barren and society looked down…

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Zimbabwe Won’t Meet 2030 ENAP Target Of Reducing Stillbirths To Below 12 Per 1000-Report

Michael Gwarisa

Zimbabwe is among the Seven countries in the SADC region that might fail to meet the Every New-born Action Plan Targets (ENAP) target of reducing the prevalence of stillbirths to less than 12 per 1,000 births. By Michael Gwarisa According to a Report of the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, titled A Neglected Tragedy The Global Burden of Stillbirth, about half of all stillbirths occur in six countries namely India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, China, Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and with current trends, more than…

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Open letter to His Excellency Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, the President for the Republic of Zimbabwe on his re-election in September 2023

Itai Josh Rusike

Now that the elections are over, the people of Zimbabwe expect the fulfilment of the election manifesto, in which you promised massive improvement in health infrastructure; more health personnel; accessible and affordable medicines; free medical care for cancer patients; at least one hospital per district, improved health services in resettlement areas, reduction of hospital fees by 50% and pursuing theHealth for All policy, among others. We were over the moon when you made very promising pronouncements which include the National Development Strategy, (NDS1) which aimed to make the country an…

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Young women at high risk of STIs in Zimbabwe – Study

Paul Sixpence

By Paul Sixpence ONE in four young women in Zimbabwe is likely to be infected with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) – with odds higher in young women living with HIV, the STICH study has revealed. The STICH study was conducted in Bulawayo and Harare by the Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI). Close to 10 000 youth between the ages of 16 and 24 years were enrolled into the study with over 8 500 (86%) accepting testing for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis. The STICH study was nested within CHIEDZA/UKUKHANYA…

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How Climate Change is Fueling a Mental Health Crisis in Urban Zimbabwe

Taurai Nyandoro

By Taurai Nyandoro If there are any global issues that have garnered and evoked increased attention in the past few years, it has to be climate change and mental health. A growing body of evidence points to the connection between climate change and mental health. In fact, there is a link between climate change and mental disorders, including fear, anxiety, stress, insomnia, depression, lost self-efficacy, mood disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Urban residents in Zimbabwe are not immune to the impacts of droughts, floods, and heatwaves. Unsurprisingly, these changes…

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Zim Scales-Up Efforts To Control Invasive Alien Species

Kuda Pembere

Zimbabwe will soon be reviewing its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) expected to be giving prominence to the management of Invasive Alien Species. By Kuda Pembere In a speech read on his behalf, Permanent secretary in the Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Ministry Ambassador Tayerera Faranisi said they are about to commence the revision of NBSAPs.  He said they are behind in their schedule for producing an NBSAP. Colleagues, this is an important topic for us as Ministry of Environment. Just to highlight for you, we are discussing…

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630,000 People Died From AIDS-related Illnesses In 2022-Global Fund

Michael Gwarisa

Even though HIV programs registered strong recoveries from the impact of COVID-19 in 2022, the number of people who continue to die from AIDS-related illnesses every year threatens to derail efforts to end AIDS by 2030. By Michael Gwarisa This was revealed by the Global Fund 2022 Results report which indicates that AIDS continues to be a major public health threat, with at least one person dying from an AIDS-related cause every minute. The disease has killed 40.4 million people to date. HIV continues to affect every region of the…

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Leprosy Resurgence in Zimbabwe…Government calls for more funding to control biblical disease

Michael Gwarisa

The Ministry of Health’s National Tuberculosis (TB) and Leprosy Control Unit has appealed for more financial resources to capacitate healthcare workers and health systems to detect and prevent the spread of Leprosy across the country. By Michael Gwarisa The re-emergence of Leprosy in Zimbabwe was first made aware to the media and other attendees of the 13th ECHO Session virtual meeting in 2022, where it was revealed that only 12 cases had been reported in Matabeleland North from 2016 to 2021. Responding to a community member in Mutare during the…

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The Treble Tragedy in Women’s Health: Unmet Need for FP – Unwanted Pregnancy – Unsafe Abortion

Dr Munyaradzi Murwirwa

Dr Munyaradzi Murwira Introduction Women and girls in developing countries face multiple challenges in accessing affordable, quality and comprehensive sexual reproductive health and rights (SRH&R) services. This article explores three key issues that affect women and girls sexual reproductive health outcomes, morbidity and mortality. The “Treble Tragedy” in women’s health, particularly in the developing world are – Unmet Need for Family Planning – Unwanted Pregnancy – Unsafe Abortion. The Primary Health Care (PHC) concept coupled with the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) approach are opportunities to ensure universal access to SRH&R…

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Zimbabwe to roll-out fourth round Polio Vaccination

Michael Gwarisa

The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and its partners will be rolling out the fourth round of Polio Vaccination from 10 to 13 October 2023 across the country’s 10 provinces. By Staff Reporter The move follows the discovery of Cases of Poliomyelitis disease that were detected among children in countries neighboring Zimbabwe in 2022. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), children under 5 years of age in Zimbabwe remain at high risk of getting this disease. According to the Ministry of Health E Programme on Immunisation (EPI),…

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