Michel Gwarisa
The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has called for a consultative stakeholders meeting with players in the healthcare sector to develop a Statutory Instrument (SI) on the advertising of healthcare services, as provided under the Health Professions Act.
Currently, Zimbabwean law does not allow health practitioners or medical institutions to advertise their services, and doing so is deemed unethical. In a circular, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Apsect Maunganidze, said the meeting would set the pace for developing an SI that provides guidance on responsible advertising. The aim is to balance the need for healthcare providers to inform the public about their services with the need to protect the public from misleading or unethical advertising.
“The current advertising policy has been deemed restrictive, and the ministry seeks to update it to reflect global trends and best practices,” said Dr. Maunganidze. “The instrument will aim to promote responsible advertising, protect the public, and support the growth of the healthcare sector.”
The consultative meeting is scheduled to be held in Harare on February 25, with every health council and representative body expected to send a representative.
In 2024, while presenting the 2025 National Budget, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube proposed an amendment to the law barring medical practitioners and health services from advertising.
In an interview with HealthTimes, President of the Medical and Dental Private Practitioners Association of Zimbabwe (MDPPZA), Dr. Johaness Marisa, said developing a new SI would finally provide clarity on the issue of healthcare advertising in the country.
“It is undeniable that we are living in a dynamic world where technology has overtaken a lot of events and advertising may be interpreted in a number of ways, but proper, ethical, truthful, professional advertising is something that this world of today needs,” said Dr. Marisa.
He added that the current situation allows unorthodox practices such as touting patients and informal promotion of services. Advertising, he said, should focus on sharing information about the availability and affordability of services for the betterment of service delivery and public awareness.
“Zimbabwe’s vision of establishing a medical tourism hub in the region is a pipe dream as long as advertising remains restricted,” Dr. Marisa said. “People continue to travel to countries like India, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Australia for procedures that could be performed locally.”
Dr. Vivek Solanki, owner of Trauma Centre Borrowdale in Harare, said reforming legislation on healthcare advertising is long overdue. He highlighted that patients cannot make informed decisions about available services in Zimbabwe because current laws prevent proper communication and promotion of medical expertise and facilities.
“Zimbabwe is decades behind other countries that allow controlled healthcare advertising. This legislation needs to change so patients, both local and foreign, can understand what services and specialists are available in the country,” said Dr. Solanki.
He emphasized that controlled, ethical advertising could reduce unnecessary medical travel abroad, save costs for patients and families, and prevent false expectations created by overseas providers. According to Dr. Solanki, there are now specialists who have returned from the diaspora with advanced skills, and Zimbabwean facilities are fully capable of handling complex procedures.
“We are not asking for blatant promotion. We are saying there should be controlled avenues—billboards, magazines, and online platforms, to show the public and potential medical tourists the services, specialists, and facilities available in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Dr. Solanki concluded that updating the laws would allow Zimbabwe to compete with regional healthcare hubs and move away from outdated regulations that have remained unchanged since the 1950s.
While medical practitioners emphasize the need for updated legislation to allow controlled advertising, regulators such as Mr. Gabriel Karani, Chairperson of the Pharmacists Council of Zimbabwe (PCZ), noted that some advertising guidelines are already in place.
“Advertising guidelines in the pharmaceutical industry are generally adequate,” said Mr. Karani.
