Month: July 2023

ED declares Harare a State of Disaster

Kuda Pembere

ZIMBABWE’S President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared the uncleanliness of the country’s capital Harare, a state of disaster. By Kuda Pembere This was done in terms of section 27(1) of the Civil Protection Act [Chapter 10:06]. Through the Statutory Instrument 140 of 2023, Government expressed concern over the state of environment in Harare Metropolitan Province. Wheres Government has noted with great concern the deplorable state of cleanliness of the Harare Metropolitan Province, characterised among other things by litter and waste dumps accumulating in business and residential areas of the Province, open…

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ICAZ Hosts National Infection Prevention and Control Conference

Ntokozo Gudu

The Infection Control Association of Zimbabwe Trust (ICAZ) hosted a two day National Infection Prevention Control indaba in Harare recently in a bid to reflect on the progress made as well as identify gaps in the country’s health care sector. By Nthokozo Gudu The meeting brought together multidisciplinary infection control practitioners from across the country’s 10 provinces including the public and private health sector and mission health institutions. Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Permanent Secretary Air Commodore, Dr. Jasper Chimedza. Director Nursing Services in…

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Bilharzia in Zimbabwe wears a female face…Risk of HIV Infection three times higher in women with Bilharzia

Michael Gwarisa

It’s an early Monday morning, and Portia Guta (35), from Chibondo Village in Shamva District, Mashonaland Central Province, has just learned that she tested positive for Schistosomiasis or Bilharzia. Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, is an infection of the urinary tract or bowels, caused by Schistosoma (blood fluke), a flatworm parasite. By Michael Gwrisa in Shamva District Portia was among the participants who got screened for Schistosomiasis during a Pilot Study that was conducted to ascertain the magnitude of Schistosomiasis in the Shamva District. The Pilot project also assessed…

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Zimbabweans value funeral cover more than Medical Aid…Only 11 Percent Zimbabweans Have Medical Aid

Michael Gwarisa

The loss in value in the local currency to the greenback, has forced several Zimbabwean medical aid policyholders to terminate medical aid policies while some are resorting to removing some beneficiaries from cover as a survival strategy. By Michael Gwarisa These developments come at the back of revelations that a few Zimbabweans are currently under medical aid cover and yet, more people have up-to-date funeral policy coverage. A study that was conducted by Finmark Trust and published by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) revealed that just 30 percent of…

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Prescription drugs mules cashing-in in Zimbabwe

Takunda Mandura

By Takunda Mandura Rampart smuggling of prescription drugs into Zimbabwe is exposing people to a myriad of unforeseen health complications. An investigation conducted by this reporter since January 2023 shows that various prescription drugs are being smuggled from countries neighboring Zimbabwe and this is largely driven by the quick availability of the greenback as well as a readily available market. Various sources contacted by this reporter revealed that the network of prescription drugs mules or smuggles comprise of corrupt border control officials, police officers, and vendors bringing drugs into Zimbabwe…

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Gender Inclusivity Celebrated at Wildlife Scouts Graduation in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

A total of 28 community wildlife scouts drawn from Mbire and Muzarabani Districts graduated at the Zimbabwe Institute of Wildlife Conservation (ZIWC) in Masvingo following the completion of a basic ranger training course facilitated by the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) under the ongoing Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) funded ‘UTARIRI – Integrated and Adaptive Biodiversity, Climate and Livelihoods Project in the Zambezi Valley, 2022-2025.’ By Staff Reporter Almost half of the graduates were women, signifying the importance of gender inclusion in developmental aspects, including the conservation of natural resources and…

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Address Youth Migration To Harness Demographic Dividend- Zim government told

Michael Gwarisa

THE rate at which migration is happening, especially in the young and middle-aged population, could cripple Zimbabwe’s economy when its population growth reaches below replacement levels, experts have warned. By Michael Gwarisa The call follows findings from the State of the World Population (SOWP) Report which was conducted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and shows that the world population has reached 8 Billion amidst indications that Zimbabwe is a youthful country, with more than 60 percent of the population under the age of 25. According to the UNFPA,…

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A Fruitful Marriage: Urban Voucher System Reduces Maternal Deaths in Harare’s Central Hospitals/Council Clinics

Michael Gwarisa

Like many women in high-density and peri-urban communities, Method Pagiwa (26), from Kuwadzana Phase in Harare, registered her pregnancy with the Antenatal Clinic at Rujeko Polyclinic in Dzivarasekwa, when she was seven months into her pregnancy. This, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards is not recommended as they prescribe that women in developing countries such as Zimbabwe, should seek ANC within four months (17 Weeks) of pregnancy. By Michael Gwarisa On July 7, 2023, Method started experiencing labor pains and her waters broke while she was on her…

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SOWP Report Findings a Wake-Up Call for Zim Government to Respect Women’s Bodily Autonomy

Michael Gwarisa

GOVERNMENT should allow women the power to make decisions regarding their own Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), a top Zimbabwe Ministry of Women Affairs, Community Small and Medium Enterprises official has said. By Michael Gwarisa This was revealed during the launch of the 2023 State of the World Population Report (SWOP) in the Capital Harare. The report was conducted by the United National Population Fund (UNFPA) and revealed that while the world population has reached the 8 billion mark, more women and girls were still lagging in terms of access…

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Old Mutual Zimbabwe Donates A Neo-Natal Ventilator to Murambinda Hospital

NewsRoom

Murambinda Hospital is a rural community hospital located in the town of Murambinda, Buhera District in Manicaland Province. The hospital is owned and administered by the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary under the endorsement and supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Harare. It is the only hospital in Buhera District, with a population of nearly 300,000 over an area with a radius of about 100 kilometres. By Staff Reporter Old Mutual Zimbabwe recently donated a neonatal ventilator, the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP),  to help improve the…

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