Clean Water, Safe Births: How Solarised Boreholes Are Transforming Maternal Care in Zimbabwe
Michael Gwarisa in Midlands Province Moments after washing a bucket at Shurugwi District Hospital’s maternity wing, pregnant mother Martha Macheka carefully closes the tap before calling another expectant woman to help her carry the water back to the waiting mothers’ shelter. Just a few years ago, such a simple act would have been impossible. Before
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For Silicosis Patients, Solar Power Means the Difference Between Life and Death
Michael Gwarisa in Kwekwe A few metres away, the wife of 50-year-old Moses Ndaba stands quietly, her face weighed down by worry as she watches her husband struggle to breathe. Clad in a green dress, she reaches into a plastic bag, pulls out an apple and gently hands it to him. Ndaba stares at it
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Three Minutes to a Diagnosis: How Digital X-Rays Are Transforming Rural Healthcare
Michael Gwarisa in Manicaland Despite the scorching heat, 58-year-old Fibion Nyatsanza (Not his real name), from Saumani village in the Honde Valley is determined to find out what has been keeping him awake at night for the past three weeks. Shortly after midday, he walks through the gates of Hauna District Hospital, clad in a
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Hauna District Hospital Records Zero Maternal Deaths in Over 4,000 Births Since 2022
Michael Gwarisa, Manicaland “My labour pains felt like a running stomach. I did not realise I was about to give birth,” recalls Sophia Uranda from Chavhanga Village in Honde Valley. What began as mild discomfort quickly turned into an emergency. On her way to the clinic, the contractions intensified, forcing her to deliver by the
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From Crisis Response to Lasting Reform: How Zimbabwe Is Building a Stronger Health System from COVID-19 Investments
Michael Gwarisa in Mahusekwa At Mahusekwa Hospital, what once passed for a pharmacy was a cramped room that struggled to serve an entire district. Medicines were often in short supply, storage conditions were far from ideal, and patients frequently travelled long distances only to leave empty-handed or be referred to Marondera for treatment. For Sekuru
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Africa Launchs First Bilingual Open-Access Journal to Strengthen Health Policy and Financing
Michael Gwarisa Africa’s research and policy community is marking a major milestone with the launch of the African Journal of Health Economics, Systems and Policy (AJHESP), a continent-led, bilingual, fully open-access journal designed to strengthen evidence-based decision-making in health. The journal, which officially launches on May 4, 2026, brings together 11 leading researchers from across
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Zimbabwe’s Medical Aid Coverage Could Shrink Further Under Proposed Reforms
Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe’s already fragile medical aid coverage could fall even further below the current 8 percent if proposed amendments to Statutory Instrument 330 of 2000 force medical aid societies to divest from healthcare service provision, stakeholders have warned. The proposed changes to Section 14 of SI 330 of 2000 are currently under scrutiny and
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First Possible HIV Cure Reported in Canada After Bone Marrow Transplant
Michael Gwarisa Canada has recorded its first possible HIV cure in a 62-year-old man who has remained in sustained remission following a bone marrow transplant, according to a report from the University of Toronto. The case, known as the “Toronto patient,” was developed through a collaboration between clinicians and researchers at University Health Network, Unity
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Ministry of Health Bans Unauthorised Vehicles From Transporting Medicines to Curb Drug Leakages
Michael Gwarisa In the wake of rising cases of leakage and pilfering of public sector medicines within Zimbabwe’s healthcare supply chain, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) has introduced stricter drug transportation and accountability measures aimed at closing existing loopholes. Appearing before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health, Permanent Secretary Dr Aspect Maunganidze
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Will Zambia Succumb to US Pressure Over Health Aid and Minerals?
Michael Gwarisa Zambia finds itself at the centre of a high stakes geopolitical and public health dilemma as pressure from the United States intensifies over a proposed agreement linking health funding to economic concessions. While April 30 has circulated widely as a decisive deadline, it is not an official contractual cutoff. Instead, it reflects mounting
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