By Kuda Pembere and Edward Makuzva
At a time when out of pocket health spending is high for many urban residents in Harare, the City of Harare on Wednesday officially launched the Community Health Equity Fund (CHEF) in Hopely.
The launch at Tariro Clinic comes six years after President Emmerson Mnangagwa opened the facility.
Officiating at the event, Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, in a speech read on his behalf by Policy and Planning Director Dr. Stephen Banda, said the CHEF is part of preparations for the National Health Insurance Scheme expected to be launched next year.
“The country has gone a long way in planning for the introduction of the national health insurance, which I would also acknowledge other speakers have alluded to already. We are hopeful that the country will launch the national health insurance next year.
“The insurance envisages several strategies for the mobilisation of domestic funding for health and the community health equity fund is one such milestone,” he said. “We will build this country brick by brick, building upon resilient individuals and communities.”
The motto for CHEF is “My health, My wealth.”
Dr. Mombeshora outlined the five pillars underpinning the CHEF, which is being piloted in Hopely.
He said the fund is built on solidarity, rooted in the African philosophy of ubuntu, which emphasizes that individual and community health are inseparable. The second pillar, he said, is community ownership, with CHEF designed to move beyond participation to the co management of health facilities to ensure transparency and responsiveness to local priorities.
Dr. Mombeshora stressed the importance of prioritizing health, urging communities to cultivate a culture of saving for healthcare in the same way they save for business or funerals. He said equity remains central, with CHEF guaranteeing equal access to quality services regardless of income.
The fifth pillar is sustainability, with the Minister highlighting the need for long term health financing alongside other critical areas such as infrastructure, medicines and human resources.
The pilot covers nearly ten clinics in Harare South and is expected to serve as a model for strengthening healthcare delivery across the country.
“I will go through the packages. The first package, which is package A, has a one time registration fee of US$1 to enroll in the CHEF package A. An annual subscription of US$2 is required. The benefits of package A will apply after one week of contribution.
“All the members who join in the first week after my launch will benefit immediately. Three consultations, six consultations with a nurse or a doctor per annum, allowing members to access necessary medical care without out of pocket payments. Free membership to a wellness clinic or club will also be offered.
“Then the package B, which is maternity services. Registration is US$1 and subscription per month is US$1. So your benefits that you get from CHEF include free consultations by a nurse, six free consultations by a doctor, free ANC and PNC, ultrasound scan services, free medication. And I know as we move, council will also look into this and make sure that the package is widened so that our people get maximum comprehensive healthcare in Hopely,” the Minister said.
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume pledged to build a maternity clinic at Tariro Clinic.
“We will also have a maternity clinic here. We see a lot of people here are in the business of giving birth. We heard there are 70 people who register for birth deliveries or ANC each day,” he said.
UNFPA Country Representative to Zimbabwe Miranda Tabifor said they contributed US$709,000 to the fund.
“You trusted in UNFPA, and UNFPA, we are so humbled that through our global strategic investment facility, we are able to contribute the seed money, the capitalistic funds of US dollars 709,000 to this initiative that we are launching today. A round of applause for that,” she said. “Capitalistic funding through our global strategic investment facility, because we believe in the vision. We believe in that vision to where we said, through this vision, innovative financing for this country is going to be scaled up through the share.”
ZB Bank CEO Elisha Chiburi said the CHEF will cater for everyone in Hopely regardless of income.
“This partnership shows that it is possible when government, international partners, regional partners, local partners and the private sector come together with one purpose, to improve lives. The Community Health Equity Fund ensures that every family, no matter their level of income, can walk into a clinic and receive care without fear of the cost,” he said.
