Day: March 29, 2023

Giliead Under Fire For Withholding PrEP Patents

Kuda Pembere

United States (US) headquartered pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, is being accused of engaging in inhuman practices of holding on to patents for certain lifesaving drugs, a situation that has condemned millions to new HIV infections and premature deaths. By Kudakwashe Pembere Some of the practices include ever-greening of medicine patents like Truvada which has been in use as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in many countries like Zimbabwe as well as opening the license for the generic production of the hepatitis C drug Harvoni to all low- and middle-income countries. AIDS…

Read More

100 graduate in Quality Rights for Mental Health training

Kuda Pembere

A HUNDRED persons graduated after completing a Quality Rights training on mental health recovery and community inclusion which started in January this year. By Kudakwashe Pembere The training equips the general citizenry as well as professionals in the handling of persons with lived mental health experiences. It comes at a time when stigma stereotyping of people with psychosocial disabilties is still rife in the community and even some public health facilities. World Health Organization (WHO) Zimbabwe focal person for mental health Dr Debra Machando said the course is a recovered…

Read More

WHO Publishes New COVID-19 Vaccination Guidelines

Healthtimes

THE World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s)  Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has since revised the roadmap for prioritizing the use of COVID-19 vaccines, to reflect the impact of Omicron and high population-level immunity due to infection and vaccination. By Staff Reporter The roadmap continues SAGE’s prioritization of protecting populations at the greatest risk of death and severe disease from SARS-CoV-2 infection and its focus on maintaining resilient health systems. The roadmap newly considers the cost-effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination for those at lower risk – namely healthy children and…

Read More

ABSA, Standard Bank agree US$193m funding deal to build new Zimbabwe hospitals

Healthtimes

Zimbabwe is to raise US$193 million in offshore lending to implement a 2019 agreement with UK infrastructure company NMS for the construction of hospitals and clinics in the country. NEWSWIRE ABSA and Standard bank of South Africa are the joint arrangers for the transaction, which will be insured by Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa. The original contract saw NMS building clinics at Stoneridge in Harare and Cowdray Park in Bulawayo. The initial phases of the project, which also include four other hospitals, have been funded by the Zimbabwe…

Read More