Nutritionists call for increase in budget allocation for health

By Byron Mutingwende   Nutritionists are calling for the National Budget to allocate the threshold prescribed in the Abuja Declaration to the health sector if the country is to realise positive economic development outcomes.   “The National Budget should allocate at least 15% to healthcare in line with the Abuja Declaration target. Empirical evidence has…

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DR-TB Drug Combination has immense benefits: MSF Research

New research published today in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal by the international medical humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides strong evidence that a combination of two new drugs for tuberculosis (TB)—the world’s leading infectious disease killer—could be used to treat drug-resistant (DR-TB) forms of the disease. These findings encourage the wider use of…

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Orthopaedic surgery delays for victims of road traffic accidents at Parirenyatwa

The Passenger Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) have registered concern to the effect that victims of road traffic accidents are taking long without undergoing orthopaedic surgery at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare. “It has come to our attention that a number of victims of road traffic accidents who required urgent orthopaedic surgery at Parirenyatwa Hospital have not…

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NBSZ EGM adjourned as members questioned the credibility of the board

By Farai Chirimumimba Members of the National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) forced the adjournment of an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) called for last Friday saying that they needed time to consult and come up with an informed decision after the board failed to provide answers to several questions raised from the floor. The agenda for…

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Government rationalises state enterprises

By Joyce Mukucha The Office of the President and Cabinet, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and the State Enterprises Restructuring Agency together with line ministries and other relevant agencies of Government are carrying out procedures to improve a rationalisation of the State Enterprise and Parastatal sector. Finance and Economic Development minister, Patrick Chinamasa…

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$7, 6m Health Development Fund for essential medicines and equipment

The Ministry of Health and Child Care has released US$ 7.6 million to the Health Development Fund (HDF) for the purchase of essential medicines and equipment for government health institutions countrywide. The channeling of the funding by the Government of Zimbabwe through the Health Development Fund attests to the trust and benefit the government has derived through the HDF. The…

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Mismanagement to blame for council’s shoddy service delivery

By Byron Mutingwende   Harare Municipality is facing a myriad of challenges but Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni has put the blame squarely on executive interference and gross mismanagement for the shoddy service delivery.   Speaking during a stakeholder engagement meeting at in Harare on Friday 29 December 2017, Manyenyeni highlighted that the city had no ultimate…

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PDP calls for media reforms

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said a free press is one of the pillars of a constitutional democracy and an essential means of public participation in decision making and urged the political leadership to guarantee it to be enable citizens to make informed decisions. “The People’s Democratic Change is aware of the fact that…

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Sport serves as a safe zone for vulnerable girls

By Byron Mutingwende   The girl child is the most vulnerable in the community due to a multiplicity of factors, chief among them gender based violence. In an effort to create safe zones for the girl child against this menace, the Zimbabwe Community Health Intervention Research (ZICHIRe) behaviour change project has introduced sporting activities targeting…

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CSOs should develop local initiatives for resilience building: ZICHIRe

By Byron Mutingwende and Patricia Mashiri In a bid to shun donor dependence and create home grown interventions that build resilience among communities, the Zimbabwe Community Health Intervention Research project (ZiCHIRe) has extended a giving hand to an orphanage in Marondera. In his address while handing over the donation of an assortment of goods sourced…

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Grassroots women mothers of children with disability grapple with adverse effects of climate change

By Byron Mutingwende   The Global Community is living no stone unturned in their endeavour to develop sustainable community responsive strategies to ensure adaptability and resilience in the wake of extreme hunger and severe poverty. Zimbabwe Parents of the Handicapped Children joined the Global Community in making frantic efforts to ensure grassroots women particularly mothers…

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Economist calls for cut in wasteful recurrent expenditures in health

By Byron Mutingwende   Renowned economist, Prosper Chitambara has said the 2018 National Budget contains pragmatic measures to cut unproductive and wasteful recurrent expenditures while scaling up social and capital expenditures, a situation that provides a solid foundation for medium term development if implemented.   Chitambara was analysing the health implications of the 2018 National…

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Women overcome poverty through food and nutrition security programmes

Women overcome poverty through food and nutrition security programmes   By Byron Mutingwende   Ward 9 and 19 of Chipinge District are role models of successful small-scale farming under the land reform programme. The Food and Nutrition Security Committee (FNSC) initiated programmes saw women in the wards running successful banana, cassava, poultry, dairy and value…

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MSF launches multimedia campaign to fight HIV stigma in DRC

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in collaboration with National Multisectoral Program against AIDS (PNMLS), the Jeunesse Espoire (Youth Hope) Association, the Congolese Union of People Living with HIV Organizations (UCOP+), the Congolese Associations Network Together against HIV / AIDS (RACOJ) and the National Network of Organizations of Assisi Community Support People Living with HIV groups (RNOAC_GS / PLWHA) launches the #ZWA NGA BIEN (Look at…

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Standardise and decentralise psychiatric assessment reports: Stakeholders urged

By Byron Mutingwende   Girls and women with mental disability are highly vulnerable to sexual violence and encounter enormous obstacles which impede easy access to post gender based violence services such as health, justice, counselling and shelter. As a result, stakeholders called for standardising and decentralisation of psychiatric assessment reports.   Nobuhle Moyo, the Project Officer…

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