Zim startup’s Cancer diagnostic application wins Cyber Cybertech Africa Security and Blockchain Hackathon

A Zimbabwean startup company which developed a computer application that detects cancers emerged the winner of this year’s Cyber Cybertech Africa Security and Blockchain Hackathon competition held in Kigali, Rwanda. By Kuda Pembere The application was developed by Clarity Technologies which comprises of four persons namely Collins Jimu and Zvikomborero Duri who are software engineers, Terry Mdiwa, a business executive and and Dr Koshesayi Madzika a lawyer. The company bagged the first prize earning themselves US$5 000 after outwitting 120 other competitors from other countries. In an interview, Mr Collins…

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Govt to decentralise Open Heart Surgeries

GOVERNMENT will decentralize the provision of open-heart surgeries in the country with the next facility targeted being Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo. By Kuda Pembere Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantine Chiwenga said this on the sidelines of a tour of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals which resumed the open-heart surgery procedures. PGH is at the moment the only health facility in the country doing this procedure. The first patient to have this procedure performed on is a 29-year-old Ms Blessing Bonda who was diagnosed as…

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600 adults on Zim’s open heart surgery waiting list

WITH Zimbabwe set to resume its open-heart surgeries on Thursday, there are about 600 adults waiting on the line alongside 4 000 children who are waiting to receive this operation. By Kuda Pembere Speaking with HealthTimes, specialist cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon Dr Simukayi Machawira said every year, about 4 000 children in the country are born having a heart condition. What I can tell is that roughly we have about 600 adult patients on the waiting list. As for children, there are about 4 000 children born with a heart…

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Zimbabwe ‘s High Road Carnage Worrisome

Zimbabwe has some of the most dangerous roads in the world and the number of road accidents continues to increase, putting the successful attainment of sustainable development goals by 2030 at risk. By Staff Reporter Annual road traffic collision related fatalities are projected to increase significantly if urgent action is not taken by all stakeholders to curb their occurrence. Speaking at a media conference in Harare on Wednesday, RoadSafe Zimbabwe director, Sam Nyaude said government needs to urgently prioritise road safety and step up the implementation of the Global Plan…

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Zim HPV vaccination coverage drops: UNICEF

Zimbabwe shed 24 percent of its Human Papillomavirus (HPV) coverage which was 91 percent in 2019 to 67 percent in 2021. By Kudakwashe Pembere The drop was attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted immunization campaigns not only in Zimbabwe but the rest of the world. In Zimbabwe, around 4 million women aged 15 years and older are at risk of developing cervical cancer. In a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) State of the World’s Children 2023 regional brief for Eastern and Southern Africa, it was noted that the pandemic…

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Obesity time bomb for Zim Children

PUBLIC Health experts have warned of an imminent obesity epidemic in Zimbabwean children, owing to multiple changes in the environment that promote high-calorie, poor quality dietary intake and minimal physical activity. By Michael Gwarisa While obesity was singled out as the biggest pending crises, the experts also warned of a rise in other Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as mental health disorders among other conditions linked to leading a sedentary lifestyle. In an interview with HealthTimes, Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Environmental Health Officer, Natasha Muziringa said the new…

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Zimbabwe Hosts Workshop on Integrating Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) and Mental Health Components in HIV Programming for Global Fund

Harare, Zimbabwe – Representatives from Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, whose funding request proposals are due for submission to the Global Fund, are meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe from 19-21 April 2023. The meeting gives these high impact countries a chance to integrate Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) and Mental Health components in their proposals. The workshop is being hosted by the Government of Zimbabwe with financial and technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS. The meeting marks a step up in action towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC)…

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Zim Global Fund Indaba Spotlights Triple Threat Of HIV,TB and NCDs

ZIMBABWE is currently meeting other African countries in Harare for the Global Fund Regional workshop to support countries with integrating NCDs and mental health into their funding request proposals to the Global Fund. By Michael Gwarisa The three day meeting is being attended by delegates from Ministries of Health from the African region, partners, and People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHIV) from Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Various speakers who during the official opening day concured that while there have been huge investments towards HIV, TB and malaria response through…

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Zim’s Traffic Accidents Related Deaths Decline

The number of deaths due to road traffic accidents declined by 4.5 percent from 553 in 3rd quarter 2022 to 528 in the 4th quarter despite a 4.3 percent increase in the total number of road traffic accidents from 13,246 accidents reported in 3rd quarter 2022 to 13,815 during 4th quarter 2022. By Staff Reporter Presenting findings from Transport Statistics Report 2018-2022, Zimbabwe National Stastics Agency (Zimstat) Director General, Mr Taguma Mahonde said, “…the year-on-year comparison of total road traffic accidents reported shows a 16.1% increase from 45,307 in 2021…

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Zim recording 8000 new cancer cases every year

AROUND 8,500 new cancer cases are being diagnosed in Zimbabwe annually, amidst indications that more cancer patients could be dying due to lack diagnosis and treatment at the back of ridiculous treatment linked catastrophic costs. By Michael Gwarisa Data from a 2018 Zimbabwe Cancer Registry Report shows that the total number of new cancer cases recorded then among Zimbabweans of all races (including non-melanoma skin cancer) in 2018 was 7 841 comprising 3 301 (42.1 percent) males and 4 540 (57.9 percent) females. The numbers have since gone up to…

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