Online Reporter
Health Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S public health sector will next week launch the inaugural National Health Sector Wellness Festival, a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at improving the physical, mental and financial well-being of healthcare workers while extending free health services to communities.
The five-day festival, organised by the Health Service Commission (HSC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, will run from July 6 to 10 at Midlands State University in Gweru under the theme, “Stronger Together, Healthier Together.”
The event is expected to bring together healthcare professionals from all 10 provinces, central hospitals and public and private sector stakeholders in a drive to strengthen Zimbabwe’s health workforce in line with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, through her Angel of Hope Foundation, will support the festival by providing state-of-the-art health screening facilities, while Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora and Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube are expected to attend.
According to the organisers, the festival is designed to promote the welfare of frontline health workers by addressing workplace stress, burnout and overall wellness, recognising that a healthy workforce is critical to improving healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
Participants will take part in mental health workshops, burnout prevention sessions, team-building activities, sporting competitions and other wellness programmes aimed at fostering resilience and improving morale across the health sector.
Beyond supporting healthcare workers, the festival will also provide free medical services to members of the public. These include cervical and breast cancer screening, blood pressure and diabetes checks, HIV testing and counselling, general wellness assessments, preventive health education and lifestyle modification counselling.
A Health and Wellness Exhibition will run alongside the festival, bringing together pharmaceutical companies, financial institutions, medical aid societies and development partners to showcase innovations and strengthen public-private partnerships in Zimbabwe’s health sector.
The HSC said the exhibition would provide a platform for sharing new technologies and solutions that can contribute to the modernisation of healthcare services.
The event marks the beginning of a sustained national movement to place employee wellness at the centre of health sector transformation, with the ultimate goal of building a resilient, motivated and productive healthcare workforce.
