Rumbidzayi Zinyuke in NYANGA
WITH the Government pursuing an ambitious health sector transformation agenda under President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 pledge, the Health Service Commission (HSC) is moving to confront institutional and operational gaps that continue to affect the delivery of quality healthcare in public health facilities.
Despite ongoing investments in health infrastructure, equipment, medicines and human resources, the public health system still faces challenges that require stronger planning, accountability and efficient deployment of available resources to ensure that ordinary Zimbabweans receive accessible and quality healthcare.
The Commission is now undertaking a critical review of the first year of its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, with a renewed push to ensure that its 2027 priorities translate into measurable improvements in service delivery and accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage.
Opening the HSC’s week-long 2026–2030 Strategic Plan review and 2027 Annual Planning Workshop in Nyanga yesterday, deputy chairperson Dr Rugare Kangwende said the first year of implementation must be subjected to an honest assessment to ensure that the five-year roadmap delivers tangible results for citizens.
She said the Commission cannot afford to measure performance merely by the number of activities completed when the ultimate test should be their impact on patients and communities.
“Let us be honest about our performance. Let us celebrate what we have achieved, acknowledge what has not been achieved, and boldly confront the reasons behind our failures and shortcomings,” said Dr Kangwende.
She challenged departments to identify whether shortcomings were caused by inadequate resources, weak systems, skills shortages, poor coordination, technology gaps or limited implementation capacity, and develop corrective measures rather than carry the same challenges into 2027.
“The purpose of reviewing performance is not merely to establish how much work we have done, but to determine how much difference our work has made,” she said.
Dr Kangwende said the strategic plan should be treated as a practical management instrument guiding institutional decisions, resource allocation and performance, rather than a document developed and filed away.
She said the 2027 planning process should prioritise interventions that directly respond to the needs of people accessing public health services, with every department expected to set realistic targets, clear responsibilities and measurable outcomes.
“The Commission exists to manage the Health Service and, ultimately, serve the citizens of Zimbabwe. Our systems, policies, processes and administrative decisions must, therefore, be judged by how effectively they support the delivery of accessible and quality health services,” she said.
Dr Kangwende said departments should avoid spreading resources across too many activities with limited impact, but focus on priorities that would make a tangible difference to health service delivery.
“Where targets have been achieved, let us establish what enabled that success so that good practices can be sustained and replicated. Where performance has fallen short, let us identify the underlying constraints,” she said.
Dr Kangwende said the 2027 operational plan should also address implementation bottlenecks identified during the first year, strengthen coordination across departments and take into account the prevailing economic environment and available resources.
She called for continuous performance monitoring, stronger accountability arrangements and measurable targets, saying the Commission needed to remain agile, innovative and responsive to increasing public expectations.
HSC secretary Dr Christopher Pasi said the review was a collective institutional responsibility, requiring departments to work together in assessing progress and addressing shortcomings.
He said the strategic plan belonged to the entire Commission and its success could not be attributed to individual departments.
“This is our plan, our roadmap together, and therefore there is shared responsibility. It is not a failure of one person or one department, or an achievement of one person or one department, but a collective achievement,” Dr Pasi said.
He said the Commission was also exploring the development of a standalone planning system that would allow it to continue its work even when disconnected from the main system.
Dr Pasi urged stakeholders to contribute ideas and perspectives that would help the Commission understand client needs, challenge existing assumptions and develop achievable targets.
The workshop brings together HSC departments and stakeholders to assess the first year of the five-year strategic plan and establish priorities for the 2027 planning cycle.
The exercise is expected to strengthen the HSC’s contribution to the national health development agenda and the country’s broader pursuit of Vision 2030 and Universal Health Coverage.
