By: Enock Musungwini, MPH, MBA
Public health associations play a crucial role in advocating for measures to improve the health and well-being of populations. They work collaboratively with governments, civil society organizations, and various stakeholders to address national and global health challenges. Unfortunately, Zimbabwe lacks a multidisciplinary public health association, which is a significant weakness for the country. In the context of public health, a multidisciplinary association is one that includes professionals from various fields, such as epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health policy and management, political science, social and behavioral sciences, health education, medicine, nursing, media, and more. Such an association would be instrumental in shaping Zimbabwe’s public health trajectory, becoming the go-to organization for government public health policies, research, consultation processes, and various public upstream approaches.
The World Health Organisation Zimbabwe country office, under the leadership of Dr. Okello, the WHO representative in Zimbabwe at the time, made commendable efforts to support the launch of the Zimbabwe Public Health Association (ZiPHA) in 2014. Unfortunately, this initiative did not come to fruition. The launch was planned through the Zimbabwe College of Public Health Physicians, an affiliate college of the Zimbabwe Medical Association, consisting primarily of medical doctors with public health training. However, this body predominantly represents medical doctors, thereby excluding other health professionals with training and interest in public health, including the author. This gap is also evident in the limited slots or quotas available for the Master of Public Health (MPH) training at the University of Zimbabwe, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Global, Public Health, and Family Medicine (formerly Department of Community Medicine). More than 90% of these slots are reserved for medical doctors, leaving nurses, laboratory scientists, pharmacists, environmental health practitioners, health promotion officers, and others to compete for the remaining 10%. This underrepresentation and lack of equal opportunity for inclusion may be a contributing factor to the lack of motivation, urgency, and advocacy for the establishment of a multidisciplinary public health association.
The evidence base, including Lee et al., (2023), shows that multidisciplinary public health is a modern approach that offers profound benefits to the population. It encompasses diverse sectors such as food, transportation, communication, healthcare delivery, and policy. The World Health Organisation’s 2006 report supports this by identifying a multidisciplinary health workforce as essential for advancing global health. Boricic et al., (2023) further argue that multidisciplinary representation in public health is necessary for effective health promotion, bringing together a wide range of experts and field domains. The establishment of a multidisciplinary Public Health Association in Zimbabwe aims to transcend individual medical disciplines, drawing members from all health professionals with training and interests in public health. This association serves as a conduit for professionals from diverse backgrounds, including doctors, nurses, epidemiologists, pharmacists, environmental health specialists, health journalists, psychologists, anthropologists, and social workers, to engage, collaborate, and collectively address complex public health challenges.
A multidisciplinary public health association in Zimbabwe offers numerous advantages. It promotes synergy among different healthcare sectors, allowing for the pooling of expertise and resources. Additionally, it enables different professionals to collaborate on research projects and brings varying approaches to tackling public health challenges. Apart from providing a platform for professional development and networking, a multidisciplinary Public Health Association for Zimbabwe would facilitate knowledge exchange, idea sharing, and partnership building among its members across various health, social, behavioral, and communication science disciplines. This aligns with global trends in public health governance and practice, as supported by VanDevanter et al., 2003 and Albert et al., (2021).
Manyara et al., (2023) at the department of Health and Social Sciences at University of the West of England, Bristol, UK conducted a study exploring the multidisciplinary nature of public health career structures in 12 countries. The findings indicated that, in many international settings, public health has been considered a specialization within the medical profession, which resonates with the context in Zimbabwe. Their study also emphasized the need for further development in this area, as the rise of the multidisciplinary public health workforce in many developed countries has not fully addressed the problem. A survey by Sommervile et al., (2007) focused on the career development needs of public health professionals. The results revealed that individuals with non-medical backgrounds often felt undervalued and excluded in the public health workplace.
Numerous countries in Africa and beyond have recognized the benefits of establishing multidisciplinary country-level public health associations. These associations allow professionals with public health training and a shared interest in public health to collaborate on addressing complex public health issues. Notable examples includes Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA), which is a voluntary organization dedicated to promoting population health improvements and reducing health inequities. The Zimbabwe multidisciplinary public health association, like other country-level associations, would also affiliate with the African Federation of Public Health Associations and the World Federation of Public Health Associations. This affiliation would provide access to international expertise and best practices while tailoring approaches to the unique local health context of Zimbabwe. The question remains: will this association become a reality or remain a mere aspiration?
Let’s discuss and engage!
About the author:
Enock Musungwini is a seasoned public health practitioner, health management consultant, and development professional with interests in public health, health policy, health systems strengthening, and social determinants of health. He holds an MSc in Public Health with a research award from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK, a Master’s in Business Administration from the Graduate School of Business Leadership at Midlands State University, a BSc Hons in Psychology, Diploma in Nursing, and numerous other qualifications. In 2022, he was honoured as the Country Representative of the Year by Health Information for All (HIFA) for his consistent advocacy for improved access to accurate health information in Zimbabwe and beyond. Enock is actively engaged in multiple professional associations, networks, and organizations across Zimbabwe, Africa, and internationally including being a committee member of the Africa Evidence Network Reference Group (South Africa), steering committee member of the International Government Science Advice Africa chapter (INGSA-Africa), member of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH USA), member of the Health Systems Global Thematic Working Group on Community Health Workers, member of the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (UK), and Alumni Ambassador for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK).
For further inquiries and engagements, Enock can be contacted via email at emusungwini@gmail.com.
While the author acknowledged and referenced articles from other organisations and individuals, the views expressed in this opinion piece, as well as any errors or omissions, are the sole responsibility of the author.
