Nyamapanda’s Hidden Corridor: Smuggled Medicines, Bribes and National Losses
By Kuda Pembere In the border town of Nyamapanda, about 240 kilometres north-east of Harare, a narrow footpath winds quietly into Cuchamano, on the Mozambican side of the border. The track begins just after Nyamapanda Clinic and winds toward an unofficial crossing used by those avoiding the main border post. Motorcycles and bicycles are a common sight
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When Santa Brings Joy at Christmas, Injiva Bring Infections and Unintended Pregnancies: The Hidden HIV Threat Facing Mat South Girls
By Michael Gwarisa in Mat South In most parts of Matabeleland South, the festive season does not only bring tinsel and holiday cheer. It brings something far more complicated. Bottle store owners and shopkeepers prepare for football tournaments that turn their businesses into instant profit zones, while a quieter and more vulnerable anticipation grows among young
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Zimbabwe’s Mobile One-Stop Centres Reveal Growing Cases of Women Abusing Men
By Michael Gwarisa in Mutoko Mobile One-Stop Centres (MOSCs), designed to support survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), are revealing a lesser-known reality in Zimbabwe: men being physically and verbally abused by their female partners. These centres provide a safe space for men and women alike to report abuse and access critical services, challenging traditional perceptions that
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They Earn More Money, But Some Migrant Health Workers Say It’s Not Worth It
By Gamuchirai Masiyiwa, GPJ Zimbabwe HARARE, ZIMBABWE — When Tanya moved to Ireland for care work in 2022, she was certain of three things: Her family would join her soon. Her husband would find work. And her children would attend a good school. Initially, her move was smooth. Visas and permits were no problem. But once
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The Hidden Health Toll of Urban Heat: Africa’s Concrete Jungles and the Rise of Climate-Sensitive Diseases
By Michael Gwarisa Africa is battling a number of adverse climatic catastrophes, and over the past five years, climate change is no longer a distant threat across the continent. In African cities, it has become an everyday reality, intensifying urban heat and deepening public health risks. Rising temperatures, prolonged heatwaves, and shrinking green spaces are combining
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Suspended HIV Services Resume in Masvingo as CAB-LA, Vaginal Ring Return for Key Populations
By Michael Gwarisa, recently in Masvingo For the past 12 months, Wellington*, a 41-year-old Masvingo man who has sex with men (MSM) and a male sex worker, has relied on oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce his risk of HIV infection. He has also used condoms and occasionally Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). At the start of 2025,
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I Wasn’t Ready to Go Blind’: Zimbabwean Woman Shares Her Glaucoma Battle
By Michael Gwarisa Sixteen years ago, these words shattered Barbara Manjonjo’s world: “I’m sorry, your condition can’t be corrected with eye spectacles. All you can do now is prepare yourself, you’re going to go blind.” This was her optician delivering the devastating news back in 2009. She was only 37 at the time. Today, she is approaching
Read MoreWard-Based Mass Drug Administration Sets Zimbabwe On Elephantiasis Elimination Trajectory
By Michael Gwarisa in Gwanda Approximately 48 Kilometres outside Gwanda town in Sifanjani Village, 68-year-old Reuben Sibanda sits amongst his fellow village men and women under a giant Baobab tree. They all listen attentively to the health worker educating them about Lymphatic Filariasis also known as Elephantiasis and why they should partake in the ongoing Mass Drug
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Why Africans and Europeans React To Medicines Differently: Zimbabwean Scientist Tests Effectiveness of Pharmacogenetics in African Populations
While some patients experience adverse drug reactions (ADRs) when taking medicines, others do not, and in some cases, others do not receive therapeutic benefits from treatment regardless of dosage. One reason for this inter-individual variation in response is differences in genes that code for proteins important in drug response. This has given rise to the field
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Free Body Scan or Free Body Scam? Health experts warn against unscrupulous herbal merchants offering Free Body Scan services
By Michael Gwarisa Could it be another version of E-Creator or any of those Ponzi schemes that have hogged the headlines in the past? Zimbabwe is witnessing a surge in Multi-level Marketing (MLM) or Network Marketing companies offering “Free Body Scan” services to convince unsuspecting and desperate health-seeking citizens to buy their herbal products. The collapse
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