Opinion Archives - HealthTimes

Challenging Online Post-Abortion Stigma in Zimbabwe: Advocating for Compassion

November 30, 2023November 30, 2023 Memory Kadau

By Memory Pamella Kadau Introduction The discourse surrounding abortion remains a contentious and divisive topic worldwide, and Zimbabwe is no exception to the complexities that surround it. Recognising that the decision to undergo an abortion is deeply personal and multifaceted, individuals navigate this choice for various reasons. The subject is often marred by misinformation, disinformation, and pervasive stigma, posing significant hurdles for those seeking safe and reproductive healthcare. The social media space in Zimbabwe has become toxic toward young girls and women who undergo abortions. This editorial delves into the…

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To end the AIDS pandemic, let communities lead

November 30, 2023 Healthtimes

By Jane Kalweo – UNAIDS Country Director, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe has a fantastic opportunity. It can end the AIDS pandemic by 2030, by letting communities lead. Communities of people living with HIV or at risk of HIV are the drivers of progress in the AIDS response. They connect people to public health services, build trust, innovate, monitor the implementation of policies and services, and hold service providers accountable. For example, in Zimbabwe Community led organisations deliver services to their peers and employ peer led approaches to provide services to the most…

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

October 30, 2023October 30, 2023 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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The Burden of Unsafe Abortions among Adolescent Girls

October 30, 2023November 28, 2023 Dr Munyaradzi Murwirwa

By Dr Munyaradzi Murwira Introduction Adolescents are a diverse group; their sexual and reproductive health needs and ability to meet those needs vary based on their life circumstances, including marital status and urban or rural residence. Adolescents often face a multitude of challenges in obtaining sexual and reproductive health services, including social stigma, judgmental attitudes of community, health care providers, financial constraints and lack of information. Key sexual reproductive health issues affecting youths include among others, STIs/HIV & AIDS, teenage pregnancies, unintended pregnancies, drug and substance abuse, and sexual gender…

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Open letter to His Excellency Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, the President for the Republic of Zimbabwe on his re-election in September 2023

September 20, 2023 Itai Josh Rusike

Now that the elections are over, the people of Zimbabwe expect the fulfilment of the election manifesto, in which you promised massive improvement in health infrastructure; more health personnel; accessible and affordable medicines; free medical care for cancer patients; at least one hospital per district, improved health services in resettlement areas, reduction of hospital fees by 50% and pursuing theHealth for All policy, among others. We were over the moon when you made very promising pronouncements which include the National Development Strategy, (NDS1) which aimed to make the country an…

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The curious case of Cement Dust Pollution in Mabvuku: The healthcare cost and who is paying for it

August 31, 2023 Dr Nyasha Manyeruke

By Dr Nyasha Manyeruke WHOSE fault is it? Compensation and reparations? The debate on healthcare and industrial, and air pollution is a global quagmire. Is the industrial industry at fault when it is concurrently spearheading economic growth and job creation? Are the people who continue to live in polluted air partly to blame for their own health circumstances. Clearly these questions have no binary answers (yes or no) because the problem itself is not binary. Studies have linked cement dust toxins to not only lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive…

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Private Health Insurance (Medical Aid) and Huge Shortfalls in Zimbabwe: Policymakers playing ducks and drakes

August 15, 2023 Enock Musungwini

By: Enock Musungwini, MPH, MBA Introduction A shortfall is the difference between what a health service provider charges for a patient’s treatment and what the medical insurance company will pay for that service. Shortfalls are sometimes presented as a co-payment, which is the gap between what the Private Health Insurance (PHI) company or medical aid pays to the health service provider for service rendered to the patient and what the health service provider will have charged the patient, known as a tariff. According to Suriyawongpaisal et al. (2016), huge shortfalls…

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Recognition and support for village health workers in Zimbabwe: Panacea to ensure the success of primary health care and universal health coverage

May 1, 2023 Healthtimes

By: Enock Musungwini, MPH, MBA The Zimbabwe Village Health Worker programme began in the 1980s, soon after independence, with the aim of enhancing access to primary health care (PHC) services in line with the then Alma Ata Declaration (1978) and now the Astana Declaration (2018) and Universal Health Coverage (UHC 2030). According to the World Health Organisation, “primary health care is a whole-of-society approach to health that aims at ensuring the highest possible level of health and well-being and their equitable distribution by focusing on people’s needs and as early…

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As International Safe Abortion Day Draws Closer, Its Time To Reflect on progress towards access to safe abortion for women and girls

September 21, 2022September 21, 2022 Edinah Masiyiwa

The 28th of September is International Safe Abortion Day, and it has two themes: “Diverse Actions, Different Places, One Demand: Access to Safe and Legal Abortion Now” and “Abortion in Uncertain Times.” By Edinah Masiyiwa These themes speak to me as an advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights, and they give me energy to continue working on safe abortion access. They communicate that firstly, we will achieve access to safe abortion through working in our different spaces from research, to advocacy, to awareness raising at community and policy…

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Abortion policy and the vicious cycle of poverty

September 19, 2022September 19, 2022 Memory Kadau

By Memory Pamella Kadau The previous instalment submitted that abortion doesn’t bring about a moral dilemma as middle ground propagation would argue. It’s clear that safe abortion services should be made accessible to women and this demands policy and legal reforms. This article explored how existing policy framework on abortion perpetuates the vicious cycle of poverty on women and fuels child sexual abuse termed ‘child marriages’. Abortion and poverty Poverty wears the face of a woman and the untold story is that hundreds of thousands of women are trapped in…

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