Month: October 2017

Rural Districts lagging Behind In Quality Health Provision

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By Kudakwashe Pembere The district risk profiles launched on Tuesday in Harare have revealed that there is a huge gap in the provision of quality health in most rural areas in Zimbabwe. Speaking in an interview, Food and Nutrition Council head of programmes Blessing Butaumocho said the nation does not have the required health institutions and practitioners. ” In terms of basic health facilities, the basic story is that generally we can do with more health facilities, we can do with more health service practitioners. “Currently we don’t have enough…

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Zim Children Threatened By Stunting

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By Kudakwashe Pembere STUNTING is proving to be a big menace to proper child nutrition, growth and development in Zimbabwe and if not nipped, could lead to a double burden of child malnutrition and over nutrition, a Food and Nutrition Council official has said. The World Health Organisation defines stunting as the impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. Children are defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the WHO Child Growth Standards median. Speaking…

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#BREAKING: Blood To Cost $80 Starting Tomorow

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By Michael Gwarisa HEALTH and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa has ordered the National Blood Blood Services of Zimbabwe (NBSZ) to reduce the price  of blood to US$80 effective November, 1 2017. Due to the exorbitant cost of blood in the country, the Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa said, “The high cost of blood and blood products in Zimbabwe has, for a long time now, been a matter of concern for both government and patients. For a start, we have, therefore, instructed National Blood Services…

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TB Kills 1.7 Million Says MSF

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By Michael Gwarisa Tuberculosis killed not less than 1.7 million people last year in 2016 amid increased cases  of drug-resistant (DR) forms of tuberculosis (TB), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has said. Four in five people with DR-TB remain undiagnosed, and only half of those started on treatment are cured.  Two newer drugs to treat DR-TB – bedaquiline and delamanid – have been available for five years and could help save more lives. Dr Isaac Chikwanha, Medical Advisor for TB, HIV and Hepatitis C, MSF Access Campaign said less than 5 per cent of people who need the drugs actually receive them…

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Misihairabwi To Bring Menstrual Cups To Parliament

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By Daniel Phiri OUTSPOKEN legislator and women’s rights advocate Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga says she is going to bring menstrual cups to Parliament to help move her motion on sanitary pads. Prices and access to sanitary pads have been a topical issue in Zimbabwe with rural girls and women said to be the most affected owing to their biological and economic status. It had to take legislators to lobby the government to scrap duty on the importation of raw materials needed to manufacture sanitary pads with a view to help reduce the…

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Prevent a heart attack: The benefits of having regular sex

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Partner “not in the mood” again? Then it might be worth sharing the following to change their mind! According to the latest studies, regular sex – that’s one to two lovemaking sessions per week – can provide some incredible boosts to your health and wellbeing. 1. Look younger Recently, Dr David Weeks, clinical neuropsychologist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, revealed to a psychology ­conference that his extensive research had found older men and women with an active love life looked five to seven years younger than their actual age. But…

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Legalise Sex Work Says Shamva MP

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By Kudakwashe Pembere SHAMVA South Legislator Hon Joseph Mapiki says government could benefit immensely from sex work if proper measures are put in place to avail basic health and daily needs in their profession. He said this during a SafAids Key Populations workshop on Friday where he recommended other Parliamentarians  and attendants to put their emotions aside and map a way forward to address challenges facing Key populations so as to tap into the sector in the form of taxes. “I think the advocates here are being emotional, when discussing…

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Village Health Post For Nyanga Community

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By Michael Gwarisa THE ministry of Health and Child Care in partnership with Nyanga South Legislator Hon Supa Mandiwanzira this week commissioned the Bende Village Health Post in Inyanga as part of efforts by government to boost access to primary health care services in the area. In an interview with HealthTimes, Nyanga South legislator, Hon Mandiwanzira said the Health post has come at a time access to basic healthcare services was a nightmare in the Nyanga, Bende community owing to issues ranging inaccessibility of the area by health care providers…

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Foreign Currency Shortages Push Sanitary Pads Prices Up- Manufacturers

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By Daniel Phiri LOCAL sanitary wear manufacturers have blamed the prevailing foreign currency shortages and increases in raw materials prices for the astronomical increase in Sanitary pads and wear prices. In Zimbabwe there are currently two companies that manufacture sanitary pads, Onsdale (Farai sanitary pads) and Refreshing Sanitary Pads (Happy Sky pads). In an interview, Refreshing Sanitary Pads general manager Collen Sakala said the price increase is beyond their control as they are responding to economic factors obtaining on the local and international markets. “The increase was necessitated by an…

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Gweru General Hospital Refuses To Treat Patient For To Opting Pay With Ecocash

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A patient admitted at Gweru General Hospital on the 26th of October 2017 was not attended to on the basis that he had no means to pay for medical bills. The patient asked to pay through Ecocash but the hospital authorities insisted on cash or swipe. Despite his worsening condition, he was kept unattended, leading to some members of the public reporting the matter to the Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa to sensetise other stakeholders. This type of behaviour is not expected at a hospital, a facility which should prioritise…

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