By Michael Gwarisa HARARE- Zimbabwe has received a positive preliminary assessment in its bid to host the 2028 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP), with an international assessment team praising the country’s government coordination, conference infrastructure, visa readiness and broad stakeholder support. The assessment team completed a three-day mission to
By Staff Reporter According to an article shared on the City of Harare’s Facebook page, the city’s Community Health Equity Fund (CHEF) is gaining support from residents’ associations, as the community-driven health financing scheme seeks to reach its target of 100,000 members. The Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe imports about 88 percent of the medicines consumed in the country, while its pharmaceutical import bill has averaged roughly US$250 million a year. In 2025 alone, Zimbabwe imported pharmaceutical products worth about US$215 million. Yet China, despite being one of the world's largest pharmaceutical and medical-technology
By Michael Gwarisa A Zimbabwean public health specialist, Dr Marjorie Mupandare, has been appointed World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in São Tomé and PrÃncipe, taking charge of the WHO Country Office in the Portuguese-speaking African nation. Dr Mupandare officially began her mission after presenting her Letters of Credence to the
By Conrad Gweru As migrants flee violence in South Africa, the physical wounds are only part of what they carry home. At Beitbridge, I met families facing an uncertain future, children leaving behind the only home they had known, and people whose health and sense of safety had been shaken
The people changing how Zimbabwe delivers healthcare By HealthTimes Every year since 2018, HealthTimes has recognised Zimbabweans whose work has made a meaningful contribution to the country's health and wellbeing. But 2026 has been a different kind of year. Zimbabwe's health sector has been navigating a major transition, from changes
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is making a strong case to host the 2028 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP), with the country now undergoing a high-level assessment of its readiness to stage one of the world’s largest gatherings on sexual and reproductive health and rights. A two-member delegation from the
By Michael Gwarisa Patients are being forced to pay for laboratory tests at private facilities when public hospitals run out of reagents or experience equipment breakdowns, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora has told Parliament. Dr. Mombeshora said interruptions in the supply of laboratory reagents and periods of
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has launched a partnership with global pharmaceutical company Pfizer to improve access to medicines and vaccines, as government seeks to address persistent shortages in public health facilities. The collaboration follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Government of Zimbabwe and Pfizer in
By Michael Gwarisa The Avenues Clinic has introduced specialist training in oncology and palliative care as Zimbabwe grapples with a growing cancer burden and the need for more healthcare workers equipped to support patients through advanced illness and end-of-life care. The development was announced on Friday as 38 specialist nurses
By Michael Gwarisa In June 2021, Chipo Chikwavira began her nursing career with an understanding that caring for patients meant more than simply diagnosing an illness and providing treatment. Today, as the Key Populations Focal Person at Gutu Hospital, she is increasingly aware that for some people, the decision to
By Kuda Pembere Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on Wednesday held belated World Mental Health Day commemorations in Epworth, bringing together young people, parents and community stakeholders to raise awareness of mental health challenges amid concerns over drug and substance abuse and teenage pregnancies. The commemorations ran under the theme, “Lived
By Michael Gwarisa The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has appointed Dr Mark Dybul as its next Executive Director, returning the experienced global health leader to the organisation at a time of major changes in international health financing. Dybul, who previously served as Executive Director of the
By Micchael Gwarisa Countries in the Greater Antilles have launched an ambitious regional plan to strengthen marine conservation by connecting protected areas, migratory corridors and shared offshore ecosystems across the Caribbean. The Caribbean Biological Corridor (CBC) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) launched the CBC 30x30 Plus Marine Action Plan
How conversations with village health workers turned an ordinary plastic basin into a newborn heat-safety idea, and why it matters as Zimbabwe gets hotter By Chipo Tsitsi Mlambo In 2018, I made a commitment to return to Zimbabwe, the country of my birth, at least twice a year from my
By Kudakwashe Pembere The Constitutional Court’s decision to set aside a High Court ruling that sought to expand the grounds for legal termination of pregnancy has left unresolved questions about mental health, disability and reproductive rights, the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) says. In a judgment issued on October
By Kuda Pembere Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals has graduated 237 nurses, including 160 specialist nurses, as Zimbabwe seeks to strengthen its healthcare workforce and expand access to specialised services. The graduates completed training in disciplines ranging from general and community nursing to ophthalmic, oncology, renal, intensive care and operating theatre
By Michael Gwarisa The UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board has rejected plans to sunset the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, instead backing a phased transformation aimed at preserving its core functions and strengthening the global HIV response. The decision was reached at a special session of the Board in Geneva
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has introduced new regulations governing how health practitioners and health institutions advertise their services, placing tighter controls on claims, patient testimonials, social media content, endorsements and digital communication. The Health Professions (Advertising) Regulations, 2026, contained in Statutory Instrument 170 of 2026, apply to every practitioner registered
By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe last week launched a regional climate and health research consortium backed by a US$20 million Wellcome Trust investment to generate evidence that informs policy and helps unlock funding for climate-related health interventions. Dr Fortunate Machingura, director of Climate, Environment and Health at CeSHHAR Zimbabwe, has been
By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe has launched two Pandemic Fund projects worth a combined US$16.82 million to strengthen disease surveillance, laboratory capacity and emergency preparedness amid growing concerns over climate-related health threats. The projects will adopt the One Health approach, which recognises the links between human, animal and environmental health and
By Michael Gwarisa For many people, the words palliative care immediately bring to mind the final days of life. It is often associated with patients for whom doctors have run out of treatment options and families are preparing for the worst. But for people living with breast cancer, particularly those
Q&A with Dr Anna Nyakabau, Oncologist Breast cancer remains one of the major health challenges facing women, but early detection and timely treatment can significantly improve outcomes. Yet in Zimbabwe, many patients continue to present when the disease is already advanced, when treatment becomes more complex and the chances of
By Barbara Marufu | Breast Cancer Survivor My breast cancer journey began with something so small that I could easily have ignored it. One day in 2003, I was at home watching television after a long drive. I was tired, and as I sat there, I happened to feel a
By Own Correspondent Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) is throwing its full weight behind Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, rolling out a nationwide awareness and screening initiative while rallying its own employees behind the cause. Under the theme "Every Story Is Unique. Every Journey Matters," the Society is
By Helen Kadirire In the 1970s, entering the medical field as a doctor was a dream many black African children could only envisage, even more so for girls. For Madeline Nyamwanza, it was the only thing on her mind. As the only female medical student in a class of 25,
By Staff Reporter A deal between the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), will cut the price of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine by about 40 percent, generating an estimated US$50 million in savings between 2027 and 2029. Announced on Friday, the agreement will reduce the price
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe will host the 2028 Continental Association of African Neurosurgical Societies (CAANS) conference in Harare, bringing hundreds of neurosurgeons and other specialists from across Africa and beyond to the country in a meeting expected to strengthen neurosurgical training, research and patient care. The successful bid, announced in
By Michael Gwarisa The UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board has rejected plans to sunset the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, instead backing a phased transformation aimed at preserving its core
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has introduced new regulations governing how health practitioners and health institutions advertise their services, placing tighter controls on claims, patient testimonials, social media content, endorsements and
By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe last week launched a regional climate and health research consortium backed by a US$20 million Wellcome Trust investment to generate evidence that informs policy and helps
By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe has launched two Pandemic Fund projects worth a combined US$16.82 million to strengthen disease surveillance, laboratory capacity and emergency preparedness amid growing concerns over climate-related health
By Michael Gwarisa For many people, the words palliative care immediately bring to mind the final days of life. It is often associated with patients for whom doctors have run
Q&A with Dr Anna Nyakabau, Oncologist Breast cancer remains one of the major health challenges facing women, but early detection and timely treatment can significantly improve outcomes. Yet in Zimbabwe,