Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Douglas Mombeshora
By George Swarei
Harare, Zimbabwe — The Cabinet has reviewed the mid-term performance report for Zimbabwe’s National Health Strategy (2021-2024), presented by Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr. Douglas .T. Mombeshora. The report highlights significant improvements in life expectancy, public health expenditure, medicine availability, and progress in combating HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.
During the first half of the National Health Strategy, life expectancy at birth for females increased from 66.5 years to 68 years, while life expectancy at birth for males remained at 61 years. This improvement in life expectancy is a significant indicator of the strides being made in the country’s healthcare system.
The report highlights that Zimbabwe met the recommended 2010 World Health Report Threshold Public Health Expenditure per capita in 2021, marking a continuous increase in Public Health Expenditure since the inception of the National Health Strategy. Additionally, there has been a noticeable improvement in the availability of medicines in health facilities, rising from 51% in 2020 to 54.1% in 2021. By the second quarter of 2022, almost 96% of public health facilities had at least 80% of essential medicines in stock, with antimalarials, ARVs, and anti-TB medicines remaining adequately supplied.
In response to the HIV pandemic, Zimbabwe has made significant progress, with 98% of people living with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2021. The AIDS mortality rate has shown a continual decline. The World Health Organization has acknowledged Zimbabwe’s success in reducing the TB burden by removing the country from the list of 30 high-Tuberculosis burden countries. Similarly, the national malaria incidence has seen a steep decline of 70% over the last three years, from 32 cases per 1,000 population in 2020 to 9 cases per 1,000 in 2022.
Given that about 90% of Zimbabweans access health services through the public health system, the government is committed to upgrading and expanding this system to provide all requisite services. The introduction of Quinary Level Care, the highest level of care offering super-specialized services, is a significant development. The first Quinary Hospital is currently under construction. Moreover, there has been substantial progress in developing new health infrastructure and refurbishing existing facilities. Over 78% of district hospitals in Zimbabwe now have fully operational theatres for emergency maternity surgery, and 93% are equipped with kits for resuscitating newborn babies.
Overall, the Health Sector has made significant progress towards achieving the targets set in the National Health Strategy (2021-2025). The Cabinet’s acknowledgment of this progress underscores the government’s commitment to improving the nation’s health outcomes.
