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Writes Muchimba Faro
The Deputy Speaker of Zimbabwe’s National Assembly, Honourable Tsitsi Gezi, officially relaunched the Zimbabwe National Tuberculosis Caucus as the guest speaker on Friday at Mandel Training Centre in Harare, renewing the parliamentarians’ willingness to end TB by 2030.
Reaffirming Parliament’s commitment by signing the Barcelona Declaration, the Deputy Speaker called for a collective effort from the parliamentarians, the Ministry of Health and Child Care, and stakeholders, to address one of the world’s most pressing health challenges, TB.
“As we renew our dedication to combating tuberculosis, we pledge to work as a team and tirelessly eradicate TB from Zimbabwe and beyond,” she said.
Zimbabwe’s Parliament first joined the Global TB Caucus of over 2500 parliamentarians from more than 150 countries in 2016 when the Speaker of Parliament Hon Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda launched the Parliamentary Caucus.
However, the caucus witnessed challenges resulting from the changing political landscape, with each election seeing the loss of membership, posing a risk to the momentum of the caucus’ effort.
Significant progress in championing TB advocacy has been made by the Zimbabwe National TB Caucus.
“We have organized capacity-building workshops for parliamentarians, conducted fact-finding visits to understand the challenges faced by our communities, and actively participated in World TB Day commemorations. These initiatives have not only raised awareness but also strengthened our collective resolve to confront TB,” Hon. Gezi said.
The relaunch of the TB Caucus was commended and considered by many stakeholders who were in attendance as the bedrock to robust policies, resource mobilization, and collaboration across all levels of government and society.
The Deputy Speaker was accompanied by the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care, Hon. Makombe, Members of the committee, and the Clerk of Parliament, Mr Kennedy Chokuda.
