Delegates at the recently ended two-day inaugural Public Health Symposium held in Harare resolved to form an all-inclusive Public Health Association. The resolution was hailed by participants as an initiative which will advance public health agenda in Zimbabwe.
Staff Reporter
Addressing delegates at the symposium Mr. Adriel Badza a public Health enthusiast lamented the absence of an all-inclusive Public Health Association in the country.
Gone are the days when health was a preserve of medical scientists and hospitals,” Badza said “in contemporary practice the field has broadened in recognition of other disciplines in the public health value chains”,
“For example, architects perform public health functions when they design a building which is disability compliant and sensitive”.
He added that, the Public Health Association will strengthen stakeholders’ involvement in crafting home grown solutions in the health sector.
Director of Zimbabwe Community Health Intervention Research (ZICHIRE-BC) Mr. Walter Chikanya commended the Public Health Symposium. “Opportunities created by this unique platform must be celebrated as it reflects stakeholders’ commitment towards local solutions to local challenges”.
As a country we need to re-ignite our efforts towards dialogue in order to tackle pressing challenges. He reiterated that “initiatives such as the Public Health Symposium must be prioritized, supported and recommendations from stakeholders actioned with concrete follow ups work.”
Dr Amos Marume, the Principal of Harare Institute of Public Health said the institute will work towards ensuring that the inaugural Public Health Symposium take place yearly.
One of the key outputs of the Public Health Symposium is the stakeholder communique. “The communique will comprise of priority areas, recommendations and resolutions from stakeholders. It will be submitted to the Government of Zimbabwe through relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Health and Childcare, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, other relevant bodies.”
“Resolutions and recommendations from the Public Health Symposium will be implemented through various sub committees formed at the gathering.” Said Dr Marume.
“Come 2023, the public Health Symposium will produce a report to the plenary on the follow up work that has been done during the year.” Marume said.
Dr Marume emphasized that “It is our intention to see deliberations from the public health symposium being utilized to influence the agenda for setting health priorities in the country.”
The Public Health Symposium was attended by delegated from Government departments and ministries, civil society organizations, Private sector, religious and traditional healers, People living with disabilities, development partners, students and academics. It was coordinated by the Harare Institute of Public Health a public health training institute in Zimbabwe.
