Month: April 2023

West End Hospital reopens next week

Kuda Pembere

WEST END Hospital, a flagship unit of Premier Service Medical Investments (PSMI) will open its doors to the public on May 2 after seven months of closure. By Kuda Pembere This comes as a relief to PSMAS membership which often times would be returned home without getting treatment due to the workers’ strike. The closure was as a result of the company’s employees who complained of salary non-payment with the management then blaming the closure on “cash flow ceilings affecting the major client, Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS).” PSMI…

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11 Budiriro Residents Contract Cholera after Drinking Water from Contaminated Well

Michael Gwarisa

THE Harare City Health Department has activated emergency Cholera response systems in the midst of an unfolding Cholera situation which has seen three confirmed, and 11 suspected cholera cases being recorded over the past five days in Budiriro 1. By Michael Gwarisa The 11 suspected cases and the confirmed three, all emanate from one area in Budiriro 1 where residents get water from an unprotected water source. The new development raises fears of a repeat of the 2008 and 2018 Cholera outbreak that killed and infected several thousands of people.…

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The Big Catch Up: Zimbabwe Launches Integrated Vaccination Drive To Cover Lost Ground

Michael Gwarisa

IN a move that is set to catapult Zimbabwe’s vaccination coverage to dizzy heights, the country has already started implementing an integrated vaccination drive in communities mainly prioritizing  Human papillomavirus vaccines (HPV), COVID-19, Tetanus and Diphtheria (DT). By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe’s integrated vaccination drive is in line with the “The Big Catch-up”, a targeted global effort to boost vaccination among children following declines driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign is being led by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates…

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19 Percent Of Zimbabweans Unemployed

Kuda Pembere

Zimbabwe’s official national unemployment rate during the first quarter of 2023 stood at 19 percent while the expanded unemployment rate for the nation  was 46.7 percent. By Staff Reporter The expanded unemployment rate is defined as a person between the ages of 15 and 64 who is without a job, willing and able to work but is not actively searching for a job. Presenting the Zimbabwe Statistical Agency (Zimstat) 2023 First Quarter Quarterly Labour Force Survey Results, Director General Mr Taguma Mahonde said there was an increase in the number…

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Global Fund Allocates US$63 million To Fight Malaria In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

The Global Fund currently has three active investments in Zimbabwe, including one malaria grant of up to US$63 million. By Michael Gwarisa This funding is allocated for 2021-2023 and supports Zimbabwe’s continued progress toward ending the three diseases as public health threats. The other two grants comprise one HIV grant of up to US$449 million and a tuberculosis (TB) grant of up to US$26 million. According to Global Fund, malaria mortality in Zimbabwe has fallen by 75 percent and malaria incidence by 84 percent over the past two decades. Regarding…

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AWF Registers Graduation of 15 Advanced Coxswains for Anti-Poaching Patrols

Michael Gwarisa

KARIBA-The African Wildlife Foundation Zimbabwe (AWF) registered the graduation of 15 advanced coxswain trainees during a colorful pass out parade event held at Moth Camp in Kariba. By Staff Reporter This followed an intense 3-week advanced coxswain course which equipped trainees with critical knowledge and skills on wildlife conservation with a particular focus on anti-poaching and law enforcement activities within marine or water-based environments. The training was made possible by the technical support from AWF in partnership with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) and the Zimbabwe National…

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Global Partners Announce “The Big Catch-up” Drive To Vaccinate Millions Of Children

Michael Gwarisa

The pandemic saw essential immunization levels decrease in over 100 countries, leading to rising outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, polio and yellow fever. ‘The Big Catch-up’ is an extended effort to lift vaccination levels among children to at least pre-pandemic levels and endeavours to exceed those. Led by a broad range of national and global health partners, The Big Catch-up also aims to ensure stronger primary health care services for essential immunization in the future. WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with Immunization…

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Parents Of Children Battling Drug & Substance Abuse Urged To Be Patient

Kuda Pembere

INASMUCH as parents or guardians are at the receiving end of shame, guilt, and embarrassment when their children are taking harmful drugs and substances, it is important for them to be patient and supportive to fight drugs and substance abuse. By Kuda Pembere This was said during a Parents taking charge against drugs and alcohol abuse workshop on Saturday. In separate interviews, it emerged that parents or guardians needed to be less judgmental of their children. Ms Jacqueline Rugayo from Seed Foundation who organized the event said the battle against…

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Gay People are sick in the head says Museveni

Healthtimes

Uganda Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka recently informed President Yoweri Museveni that the Anti-Homsexuality bill if passed by Parliament in its current form criminalizes even those who voluntarily come out to have practiced homosexuality and need to be helped. By Staff Reporter The development resulted in President Museveni returning the controversial bill to parliament for fine-tuning citing that it was silent on psychologically disoriented persons and how it intends to deal with those who voluntarily come out as gay and how they will be helped to access mental rehabilitation services. Once…

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Zim HPV vaccination coverage drops: UNICEF

Kuda Pembere

Zimbabwe shed 24 percent of its Human Papillomavirus (HPV) coverage which was 91 percent in 2019 to 67 percent in 2021. By Kudakwashe Pembere The drop was attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted immunization campaigns not only in Zimbabwe but the rest of the world. In Zimbabwe, around 4 million women aged 15 years and older are at risk of developing cervical cancer. In a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) State of the World’s Children 2023 regional brief for Eastern and Southern Africa, it was noted that the pandemic…

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