By Kuda Pembere
ZIMBABWE has updated its national essential medicines framework and introduced new adult oncology treatment guidelines as Government moves to keep pace with changing disease patterns, advances in medical treatment and growing pressure on the health system.
Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora last Thursday launched the ninth edition of the Essential Drugs List for Zimbabwe (EDLIZ 2025) alongside the Zimbabwe National Adult Oncology Treatment Guidelines.
The two documents are intended to strengthen evidence-based clinical practice while improving access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable medicines and cancer treatment.
Officiating at the launch, Dr Mombeshora said the documents represented a major national commitment to ensuring that access to quality healthcare was not determined by where people lived or their economic circumstances.
“The official launch of the ninth edition of the Essential Drug List for Zimbabwe, EDLIZ 2025, together with the Zimbabwe National Adult Oncology Treatment Guidelines, marks an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to strengthen the quality, safety and equity of healthcare in Zimbabwe,” he said.
“These two important documents reaffirm Government’s commitment to ensuring that all Zimbabweans have access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable medicines and treatments guided by the best available scientific evidence.”
Aligned with the World Health Organisation’s Essential Medicines concept, the medicines included in EDLIZ underwent evaluation based on safety, efficacy, quality, cost-effectiveness and local manufacturing potential.
Dr Mombeshora said EDLIZ was more than a catalogue of medicines, describing it as an important tool for promoting rational prescribing across all levels of the health system.
“In an environment where resources are constrained and the demand for healthcare continues to grow, we must ensure that the medicines we procure, prescribe and dispense provide the greatest possible benefits to our patients and the health system,” he said.
The minister said the updated list would help improve medicine selection, procurement and supply-chain planning while ensuring that scarce resources were directed towards priority health needs.
He also highlighted the role of EDLIZ in tackling antimicrobial resistance, warning that inappropriate and unnecessary use of antibiotics was accelerating the emergence of resistant infections.
“EDLIZ 2025 provides an important framework for promoting evidence-based prescribing and rational use of antimicrobials, thereby safeguarding the effectiveness of these essential medicines for present and future generations,” Dr Mombeshora said.
The launch of the adult oncology treatment guidelines comes as Zimbabwe faces a growing burden of cancer, driven by a combination of factors including HIV comorbidity, changing lifestyles, environmental risks and barriers to early diagnosis.
Dr Mombeshora said the guidelines would provide healthcare professionals with a standardised, evidence-based framework for diagnosing, treating and managing adult cancers.
“The launch of the Zimbabwe National Adult Oncology Treatment Guidelines is equally timely. Cancer continues to place a significant and growing burden on individuals, families and the health system,” he said.
“These guidelines provide health professionals with a standardised evidence-based framework for the diagnosis, treatment and management of adult cancers while promoting equitable access to quality care.”
He said prevention, early detection and timely referral would be critical in reducing late-stage cancer presentations, with primary healthcare facilities playing an important role in identifying suspected cases and facilitating referral to specialised oncology services.
Dr Mombeshora urged clinicians, pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare professionals to consistently use both documents in their daily practice.
“Their value will ultimately be measured not by their publication but by how effectively they guide clinical decisions, promote responsible prescribing, and improve the quality, safety and outcomes of patient care,” he said.
The minister reaffirmed Government’s commitment to improving the availability and sustainable financing of essential medicines, strengthening pharmaceutical supply chains, expanding cancer prevention and treatment services and supporting local pharmaceutical manufacturing.
He commended the National Medicine and Therapeutic Policy Advisory Committee (NMTPAC), the Department of Pharmacy Services, oncology experts, development partners and other stakeholders involved in developing and reviewing the documents.
Dr Mombeshora also recognised Professor Chiratidzo Ndlovu for her leadership as chairperson of NMTPAC and congratulated Professor Hilda Mujuru, who takes over as the new chairperson.
Professor Ndlovu said EDLIZ was reviewed every four years, although the changing disease landscape and rapid advances in medicine made more frequent updates increasingly important.
“Why does EDLIZ matter now more than ever? Our disease landscape is shifting. We are aware that we have the dual burden of infectious diseases and now non-communicable diseases, and that’s why today we are also launching the adult oncology standard treatment guidelines,” she said.
She said Zimbabwe had hoped to develop a technological platform that would allow EDLIZ to be updated in real time following its previous revision in 2020.
“We do need, in terms of technology, to try to find a way of making sure that our EDLIZ is updated as frequently as we would need to,” Professor Ndlovu said.
She also raised concerns about the rising cost of oncology medicines, particularly as new treatments such as immunotherapies enter the market.
“I worry about the oncology medicines because they’re expensive, and there’s a lot that’s coming out in terms of that area, in terms of treatment,” she said.
Professor Ndlovu said the cost of new cancer treatments presented a particular challenge for developing countries and would need to be considered within the essential medicines framework.
