adminAbigail Mawonde Herald Correspondent
Stakeholders in the health sector are meeting in Victoria Falls this week for an annual conference organised by the Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe to discuss issues affecting healthcare and possible solutions to the challenges. Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa is expected to officially open the two-day workshop today.
In an interview, AHFoZ chief executive officer Mrs Shylet Sanyanga said the meeting was an all stakeholders’ conference on health. “The conference will discuss challenges which include issues of access and cost reduction of healthcare in Zimbabwe, especially in relation to the current economic environment,” she said.
Mrs Sanyanga said the conference was aiming at identifying and bringing to the surface challenges within the healthcare sector and offer possible solutions as well as to promote harmony and sustainable partnerships in the health care sector.
She said the conference also provided a platform for sharing notes and learning for continuous development. “Some of the topics to be covered include Public Private Partnerships; the role of the private sector in the healthcare system; prevention and wellness; interrelationships between costs, patient access and ethics; and how information technology will help shape the future of the healthcare system,” said Mrs Sanyanga.
Delegates drawn from all facets of the healthcare supply chain in the country and in the region are expected to attend the conference. The theme for this year conference is “Healthcare in Zimbabwe: Back to the future”.
The country’s health sector is currently facing a myriad of challenges ranging from shortage of skilled professionals and health-care staff; drug shortages; poor infrastructure with ill-equipped hospitals and rising healthcare costs.
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