Category: MENTAL HEALTH

Parirenyatwa’s Kangaroo Mother care halves neonatal mortality in a month

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Immediate Kangaroo Mother Care (IKMC) has the ability of halving neonatal mortality as evidenced at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital’s Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospital over the past month. Speaking to journalists during a tour of the IKMC unit, specialist neonatologist Dr Alexander Stevenson explained that preterm babies are instantly placed on the mother’s chest before the umbilical cord is cut. So, here’s my Christian and I have my Christian’s consent to share her story, because in fact we can tell the whole story in just those microcosms here.…

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“I Attempted Suicide Twice:” Songbird Pauline Gundidza Recounts Journey With Drug and Substance Addiction

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Drug and substance addiction is very common in the music industry, and Psychologists have identified several reasons why musicians find it easy to slide into addiction. These range from the easy accessibility of drugs since most of the time musicians play in clubs and pubs where drug peddling is rife. Fame and fortune, immaturity, money, nomadic lifestyles as they tend to be on the roads most of the time, and generally a Laissez-faire kind of attitude have been linked to the high prevalence of drug and substance…

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Sweden Injects US$1.9 Million towards Zimbabwe’s Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to support Zimbabwe’s efforts to curb the souring drug and substance abuse crises, the Embassy of Sweden in Zimbabwe has availed an amount to the tune of US$1.9 Million towards “The Strength is in You” anti-drug campaign. The US$1.9m grant for the Anti-Drugs Campaign is part of the Swedish Embassy’s overall efforts to address negative practices in Zimbabwe. The campaign is being implemented by the Population Solutions for Health (PSH), and is aimed at raising awareness on the dangers of drug use, provide support…

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Rebuilt from Ruin: Overcoming the Psychological Scars of Injury

Healthtimes

For professional athletes and gym rats, a major injury is a brutal blow. It’s not just the throbbing pain and logistical nightmares, but the mental gut punch of being benched from your passion. After physio purgatory and a clean bill of health, you might think you’re good to go. But hold up – there’s often a mental hurdle to clear. Fear of re-injury or losing your skills can leave you stuck on the sidelines. This awfully often happens with the players in the Premier League in recent years, making managers…

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Convicting Crystal Meth/Mutoriro Possession: Zimbabwe’s Biggest Legal Lacuna

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is experiencing a Drug and Substance abuse crisis. The drug epidemic is mainly affecting young people mostly males, even though the prevalence of females who use drugs is also rising. According to the 2022 Situation Assessment report of drug use in Zimbabwe, 58.47 percent of males use drugs in Zimbabwe, while females account for 40.59 percent. One drug that has wreaked havoc in Zimbabwe is Crystal meth, a common name for crystal methamphetamine, a strong and highly addictive drug that affects the central nervous system.  There…

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Zim Kambucha officially an Alcohol

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere With a majority of Zimbabweans defending Kambucha as a non-alcoholic beverage, it has emerged that it is a liquor, an alcoholic substance. The beverage is touted as “a health drink made from natural ingredients such as lemon, garlic, black pepper and ginger”. Manufactured by Fresh Kambucha Zimbabwe, the product was Tuesday granted a wholesale liquor license by the Liquor Licensing Board. This means it is actually an alcohol quashing notions from its consumers that it wasn’t. Fresh Kambucha Zimbabwe is owned by one Mr Willard Chinguwa with…

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Combating Drug and Substance Abuse among School Children: A Fight for Everyone

Olivia Ganya

By Olivia Ganya The scourge of drug and substance abuse plagues schools across our nation. Far too many promising young lives are being lost or derailed by the lure of illicit substances. However, there is hope – as a society, we can come together to protect our most vulnerable from facing this threat alone. Drug and substance abuse can have severe consequences on the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of school children. It can impede their academic performance, disrupt social relationships, and lead to long-term health problems. Additionally, substance abuse…

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Zimbabwe Drug Peddlers Selling Drugs To 14 Year Olds

Kuda Pembere

Local drug dealers, also known as MaJazzMan are now disregarding age and selling drugs to whoever shows up on their doorstep, a UNCEF Report has said. By Kudakwashe Pembere According to a UNICEF September 2023 research brief dubbed, ‘Understanding drug use and substance abuse by Zimbabwean adolescents and young people’, it was found that these dealers popularly known as ‘maJazzman’ are so profit-driven they condone any age. The research brief is a summary of the findings and recommendations from Muthengo Development Studies (MDS), Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network (ZCLDN),…

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Drug Abuse Admissions Overwhelm Annex Psychiatric Hospital

Michael Gwarisa

Parirenyatwa Annex Hospital, the Psychiatric division of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals (PGH), is currently admitting more drug and substance abusers compared to other mental health patients, officials have said. By Michael Gwarisa The development has disrupted care and service provision for other mental health conditions at the facility. Even though the facility at some point reduced the admissions to 10 adults at any given time at the back of ongoing renovations, data shows that more than half of bed occupants are drug and substance abusers. Speaking to HealthTimes, Parirenyatwa Group…

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MCAZ seizes illegal cough syrups BronCleer and Adco-Salterpyn

Kuda Pembere and Nthokozo Gudu

The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) yesterday impounded 450 bottles of cough syrups in Belvedere, Harare. By Kuda Pembere and Nthokozo Gudu The Authority working with CID drugs and narcotics confiscated bottles of BronCleer and Adco-Salterpyn which are unregistered medical products in the country during a raid in the area. After an anonymous tipoff, the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) has successfully confiscated a total of 450 Bottles of illegal cough syrups (BronCleer and Adco-Salterpyn) during a raid conducted at Old Trafford flats located at 13 Edmond Avenue,…

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