adminFrom George Maponga in Masvingo
Government has started reviewing the Public Health Act to enforce compliance by all the country’s citizens to gazetted national health programmes irrespective of their religious and cultural beliefs. The move to review the Act comes in the wake of resistance to some national health programmes by some religious and cultural groups, a situation that has often times militated against efforts to curb outbreak of diseases such as cholera.
Addressing journalists during a sensitisation workshop organised by the Ministry of Health and Child Care yesterday, acting Masvingo provincial medical director Dr Kudzai Masinire said Government was aware of some religious sects that were hampering efforts to improve the health delivery system because of their entrenched beliefs.
Dr Masinire, who is also the Masvingo provincial maternal and child health officer said the new Public Health Bill seeks compliance to some gazetted national health programmes once it becomes law.
He said the new bill would soon be tabled before Parliament for debate and if adopted would be passed.
“Consultations have been made at various stages and the current Public Health Act is being reviewed to enforce compliance by all citizens to gazetted national health programmes.
The new Public Health Bill will soon be debated in Parliament and if adopted, will be passed into law. It is our hope as the ministry of Health and Child Care that once this new Act is passed a lot of changes will obtain in the health delivery system,’’ he said.
Dr Masinire said the problem of some religious groups resisting national health programmes like immunisation and even circumcision has been a thorn in the flesh of health experts adding that Government would continue to look for ways to ensure that all Zimbabweans positively respond to national health programmes.
He said maternal and infant mortality could be greatly curbed if some conservative religious groups embrace new and modern health methods.
Dr Masinire also emphasised that the Ministry of Health and Child Care would intensify engagement with community leaders to influence a change of attitude towards modern health methods especially by religious groups such as apostolic sects.
He decried that maternal and infant mortality remained high in Zimbabwe adding that the health delivery system still faced challenges ranging from shortage of skilled workers and a lack of easy access to health institutions especially in remote parts of the country.
Government was also worried by the high number of women who were still giving birth away from health institutions, a situation he said partly contributed to high maternal and infant mortality. Dr Masinire said studies had shown that only 60 percent of pregnant women in Zimbabwe delivered in health institutions every year while the remaining 40 percent were delivering at home or other insecure places.
Online Reporter