Month: October 2021

Dr Tedros Runs Unopposed For WHO Director General Post Second Term

Michael Gwarisa

THE incumbent World Health Organization (WHO) Director General emerged the preferred candidate to head the global health institution for the next five years. By Michael Gwarisa According to a statement that was released by WHO, the election process began when Member States, through a circular letter sent by the WHO Secretariat in April 2021, were invited to submit proposals for candidates for the Director-General position. The deadline for submission of proposals was 23 September 2021. The appointment of the next Director-General of the World Health Organization will take place at…

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Zim Radiotherapist Vents Over Broken Down Cancer Management and Treatment Equipment In Zim Public Hospitals

Healthtimes

Below is an extraction from a social media post by one of Zimbabwe’s leading Radiotherapist, Adriana Rutendo Mafukidze Zanga. I can’t sleep. 2.41 a.m. I need help. I keep seeing those angry faces when I close my eyes. ANGRY CANCER PATIENTS They literally would have beaten us up again yesterday as we dismissed them again this week without getting their radiation treatment. The machine has been going down every afternoon due to heating issues among other issues. Well they have every right to be angry. Some of them by 4a.m…

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Actions must speak louder than words: Five asks to achieve equity in vaccine delivery

Michael Gwarisa

Ahead of the G20 Rome summit, 30-31 October, the UN and International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, have come together to reinforce a joint call for global vaccine equity. Fifteen months since the organizations first called for a “people’s vaccine” to protect everyone, everywhere, this goal is far from being reached. As the pandemic requires the international community to take extraordinary measures, today they reconvene to remind leaders that equitable vaccine distribution is a political, moral, and economic priority. In June 2020, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic,…

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Outrage, As Mabvuku Polyclinic Makes Residents Pay US$5 To Get Baby Cards

Patricia Mashiri

RESIDENTS in Mabvuku, a high density suburb east of Harare have expressed shock over alleged ludicrous demands being made by administrators at Mabuku Polyclinic, chief among them being the US$5 payment in order to obtain baby cards for new born babies. By Patricia Mashiri The clinic has also been making pregnant women pay US$10 towards scans but to the shock of residents, the facility has not been issuing receipts. Speaking to HealthTimes, Mr Michael Chideme, the Harare City Council Spokesperson however said they were investigating the issues being reported about…

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“It Will Not Work, SIMPLE!” Says Zim Doctors……As They Reject Ideological Orientation

Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE’S medical doctors have come out guns blazing against the recently announced plan to integrate a National Health Service program, an ideological orientation initiative within the Public Service Academy curriculum for medical doctors and other healthcare workers. By Michael Gwarisa Cabinet recently announced through the information minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa that plans were underway to introduce the program in institutions that train healthcare workers as part of efforts to halt the hemorrhaging of skilled healthcare personal. In an interview with HealthTimes, Senior Hospitals Doctors Association of Zimbabwe (SHDA) president, Dr…

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One Health: Africa And Asia Should Collaborate To End Zoonotic Diseases Spread

Michael Gwarisa

FOR several decades, Africa and Asia have been major hot-spots and sources of Zoonotic diseases that have led to some of the world’s deadliest diseases outbreaks. Zoonotic diseases (also known as zoonoses) are caused by germs that spread between animals and people. By Michael Gwarisa Some of the major Zoonotic diseases that have emerged from Africa include Ebola which is believed to have originated from fruit Bats, there is also still confusion over the origins of AIDS which is believed by some scientist to have come from primates in the…

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ThisAbility Hub Launches Disability Friendly Transport System

Patricia Mashiri

ThisAbility Hub, an organization whose purpose is to bridge gaps that exist between People with Disabilities (PDWDs) and the non-disabled in the country, has launched Accessible Vaya, a mobile Taxi to ferry and accommodate PWDs. By Patricia Mashiri The initiative is going to work through under the Vaya, an Econet Wireless Taxi system where bookings can be done through the Vaya mobile Application. Speaking to HealthTimes, Mr Tapiwa Tsikai, the Technical Director said he came up with the idea after realizing the troubles of PWDs in accessing public transport. I…

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#Bizarre: Doves In Trouble For Burying Empty Coffin, Relatives Breath Fire

Patricia Mashiri

ONE of Zimbabwe’s leading funeral services companies, Doves Holdings Funeral Services has come under fire for allegedly burying an empty coffin and holding on to the  deceased’s body for six months before proceeding to clandestinely bury it in a mass grave at Mbudzi Cemetery in Harare. By Patricia Mashiri The deceased, Maxwell Chimwamurombe from Nyanga, died in March and the funeral company Doves only realized three days after burial that his body was still in mortuary according to legal documents filed Zenas Chambers representing the Chimwamurombe family. Your organization realized…

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Stanbic Donates USD $20.000 to Cancer Association of Zimbabwe

Patricia Mashiri

IN  a move that is likely to lessen the cancer burden in Zimbabwe, Stanbic bank has donated USD $20,000 to the Cancer Association of Zimbabwe (CAZ) to purchase chemo-therapy drugs for patients who fall under the ambit of CAZ. By Patricia Mashiri This donation also comes in the month when the world is commemorating breast cancer awareness month. Speaking during the donation, Mr Simbarashe Mhuriro, the Non-Executive Boarder member of Stanbic said the donation made today marks eight years since Stanbic started the relationship with CAZ in which Stanbic puts…

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New Zealand’s Lifts Travel Restrictions For People Living With HIV

Michael Gwarisa

UNAIDS welcomes the announcement by New Zealand that it has removed all travel restrictions for people living with HIV. The recent decision by Immigration New Zealand to remove HIV from the list of medical conditions deemed likely to impose significant costs or demands on New Zealand’s health services means that the blanket ban for people living with HIV to get a resident visa has officially been removed. Own Correspondent “I commend New Zealand for taking this important step and hope that it will encourage other countries to remove all travel…

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