By Kuda Pembere
Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora has warned private health players who fail to provide data on Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) programs, saying such facilities risk closure.
He gave the warning during the National Validation Committee (NVC) Meeting for the Triple Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B in Zimbabwe on Wednesday.
“We need the data for planning purposes. So, it cannot be choice to supply data or out of choice. Or it must be then mandatory. Those who do not want to supply data we have to close them. Simple,” Dr. Mombeshora said.
His remarks followed revelations by the Ministry’s National PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment Coordinator, Dr. Angela Mushavi, that the private sector has not been submitting the required data.
With Zimbabwe working to reduce MTCT rates to below 5 percent, by 2026, Dr. Mushavi said the latest figures show a drop to 6.48 percent from 8.1 percent in 2023.
She stressed that the private sector’s failure to share data has long undermined national programming.
“And then data collection from private sector is still an issue. Private sector is not reporting. Because we all know about the sprouting of maternity homes.
“Private maternity homes. They are seeing pregnant women, they are testing and treating but we don’t have that data. And it will be interesting to hear from the national health information system on how far we are on making it…I don’t want to say mandatory reporting from the private sector. But I think there is a duty to report from the private sector because the people going to the private sector are Zimbabweans,” Dr. Mushavi said.
“So if our data is only speaking to what’s happening in the public sector, what about the private? Are those going to the private sector not Zimbabweans? We need to strengthen that. We have talked about this, talked about this and it’s time for action.”
Some participants, however, argued that excessive paperwork has discouraged private facilities from submitting data to the Ministry.
Officiating at the meeting, Dr. Mombeshora also urged men to support their partners during pregnancy.
“Triple EMTCT is not just about women — it is about families. So I want to urge our men: please support your partners, accompany them to antenatal care, and get tested together. If you don’t, you risk the ladies renaming ANC to ‘Always No Chaps,’” he said.
Looking ahead, the minister said more effort is required to reach national targets.
“On a serious note, we have made encouraging progress. HIV prevalence is declining, and mother-to-child transmission has dropped to 6.5%, moving steadily toward our target of less than 5% by 2026.
“Nearly all pregnant women are now tested and treated for syphilis, and efforts for Hepatitis B elimination are gathering momentum — though more work is needed, especially on testing and the birth-dose vaccine,” he said.
