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Political Writers
Zimbabwe has survived the onslaught of Western sanctions meant to cause regime change for the last 15 years, but has remained standing and able to provide services to its people.The secret to this amazing feat is down to the strong foundation that the black Government laid in areas such as health, education, housing, democracy and justice.
Today as we look at the past 35 years of Independence, we trace the strides that the Government has made in the field of health.
Zimbabwe inherited a dual health system which favoured whites but neglected the majority blacks in towns, farms and rural areas.
At independence in 1980, there were only two central hospitals but these have been increased to seven while district hospitals have been increased from 28 to 60; rural clinics from 46 to over 100; rural health centres from 450 to above 1 000.
From the dual health system, the new Government set up a four tier system comprising of Primary, Secondary, Tertiary and Quaternary
Primary Health Care is the main vehicle through which health care programmes are implemented in Zimbabwe. The main components of Primary Health Care (PHC) include: maternal and child health services; health education; nutrition education; and food production: expanded programme in immunisation; communicable diseases control; water and sanitation; essential drugs programme; and the provision of basic and essential preventive and curative care.
The majority of health services in Zimbabwe are provided by the public sector (Ministry of Health and Child Care and Local Government), both in the rural and urban areas.
Government services are complemented by Mission (Church related) and private facilities.
Health services in Zimbabwe are integrated, so that every health facility offers a full range of available services, that is both curative and preventive services. Thus all health services offer maternal and child health services (MCH), including family planning.
In an effort to boost access to health service by newly resettled farmers, some 30 former farm homesteads are being converted into rural health centres.
Zimbabwe was one of the first countries in the world to recognise HIV and Aids and offer protective measures.
Sentinel surveillance for HIV shows that 17 -25 per cent of antenatal patients were positive in 1993. This figure rose dramatically in the first half of the 1990s peaking and stabilising at around 29 per cent, in 2002, 24.6 in 2005 and today it stands at 15 percent.
Since the late 1990s the HIV prevalence rate in Zimbabwe has been on the decline, making Zimbabwe one of the first African countries to witness such a trend.
The Government set up the National Aids Council, in order to spearhead the fight against the pandemic.
The National Aids Council has structures, right down to the ward which coordinate the activities of government, Non Governmental Organisations, Churches and the private sector in programmes to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. Government instituted an AIDS Levy in 2002 in order to fund the activities of the National AIDS Council and the NGOs in the sector.
As part of its policy on HIV/AIDS the Government of Zimbabwe encourages the voluntary counseling and testing for HIV (CVT). There are close to 500 430 sites in the country where voluntary counseling and testing is provided.
Government, with the help of international donors, has been providing medication in order to stop mother to child transmission.
Children in Zimbabwe are taught about HIV/AIDS from the age of eight. There have been suggestions that the subject should become examinable, so that the teachers can take the teaching of the subject more seriously.
Outside the school system, efforts to educate the youth about HIV/AIDS, have been carried out by NGOs, Churches, and youth groups. Studies have indicated that knowledge about HIV/AIDS is high amongst Zimbabwean.
Child mortality
Because of the vigorous health strategies put in place soon after independence, mortality in children had decreased to the lowest levels towards the end of the 1980s, and levelled off in the 1990s.
The mortality situation appears to be worse off in rural and former commercial farming areas, as compared to urban areas.
In general child survival prospects have not improved since the late 1980s, largely as a result of changes in health policies, following the implementation of structural adjustment programmes, and further compounded by the sanction imposed on the Zimbabwe government by the European Union and the United State government.
But the figures indicate progress.
In 1980 child mortality rate stood at 177/1000 but reduced to 55/1000 in 2013.
Training of health personnel
Most of the health personnel working in the Zimbabwe health sector have been trained at institutions in Zimbabwe.
There are two teaching Hospitals, for medical doctors in Zimbabwe, Harare and Mpilo Hospitals.
The University of Zimbabwe has a Faculty of Dentistry. Both the Universities of Zimbabwe and of Science and Technology in Bulawayo have facilities to train pharmacists and medical technologists.
Nurses are trained at a number of training colleges, including some Missionary Hospitals. Because of the brain drain Zimbabwe is losing its doctors, pharmacists, laboratory technologists and nurses to South Africa, Canada, and United Kingdom.
Online Reporter