Online Reporter
Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
GOVERNMENT is targeting a major increase in national life expectancy, aiming to boost the average from 64,7 to 70 years under a definitive new five-year roadmap, a Cabinet minister has said.
The goal serves as the flagship objective of the National Health Strategy (NHS) 2026-2030, a policy framework designed to fundamentally transform the country’s medical landscape.
Central to this vision is the doubling of the national health workforce and the achievement of Universal Health Access, a mandate intended to ensure that quality care is available to every citizen, regardless of their financial or geographic standing.
Speaking at the National Health Strategy review workshop in Harare yesterday, the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, described the roadmap as a “critical milestone” in the country’s journey toward achieving an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
“Our goal is to achieve universal health coverage, improve life expectancy from 64,7 years to 70 years, reduce maternal and under-five mortality and increase access to clean water and sanitation,” Dr Mombeshora said.
The new strategy serves as a successor to current frameworks, aligning with the National Development Strategy 2.
“As we embark on this process, we are guided by our national vision of becoming an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
“The National Development Strategy 1 laid a strong foundation, and we are now building on those achievements with NDS2, which prioritises social development and protection, including a resilient healthcare system that is people-centred and responsive.”
The Ministry, Dr Mombeshora said, will develop a specific Primary Health Care (PHC) strategy to rejuvenate community-level medical services.
“We will prioritise service delivery, ensuring that all our platforms, from community to quaternary level, are enhanced and responsive to people’s needs.
“Community participation and ownership of health initiatives will be central to our approach, and we will develop a Primary Health Care strategy to rejuvenate and revitalise this critical aspect of our healthcare system.”
Dr Mombeshora revealed that the Government aims to double the size of the health workforce over the next four years.
“A critical component of our strategy is health workforce development,” he said.
“We will implement the Health Workforce Strategy 2026-2030, which seeks to double our health workforce, ensuring that we train, deploy, and retain sufficient health workers to meet the needs of our population.
“The Health Service Commission is working tirelessly to support this effort, and we look forward to unpacking priorities for health workforce development in this strategy.”
The Minister also added that, while significant gains were made under NDS1, the upcoming five-year cycle will focus heavily on social development and protection, ensuring that no Zimbabwean is left behind in the quest for quality medical care.
