adminLungile Tshuma in Harare
MORE than 2 000 nurses who are unemployed are set to benefit from the country’s Zimbabwe Population Based HIV Impact Assessment (Zimphia), a six-month survey meant to assess the prevalence of HIV and Aids in the country. The $3 million survey which will gather information in all provinces in the country will kick start next month and 15 000 selected homes will be interviewed.
Speaking at a function to launch the survey in Harare on Friday, Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa said his ministry was happy to be launching the survey which has a multiplier effect to his ministry.
“I have over 2 0000 unemployed nurses and this survey is going to absorb some of them. This exercise is going to leave the ministry well resourced and this is useful in improving health standards in the country,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.
“My ministry is very excited about Zimphia as its results will offer us a platform as policy makers to better understand the relative impact of HIV at population level and additionally provide participants with an opportunity to know their HIV status.
“I am happy that Zimphia has been designed to make meaningful contribution to specific results in the Zimbabwe Agenda for Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset), which is our national guiding blueprint for socio-economic development,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.
The country has been failing to employ nurses because of financial constraints and the development is going to be a relief for nurses.
The primary objectives of Zimphia are to ascertain HIV incidence (new HIV infections) at a national level, and to estimate the provincial prevalence of suppressed HIV viral load in a nationally representative sample of adults. Zimphia will also estimate paediatric prevalence of HIV.
Also on a positive note, the Bulawayo’s referral hospital, Mpilo is one of the hospitals earmarked for upgrading.
Columbia University chief of party, Dr Godfrey Musuku revealed that other hospitals targeted for upgrading were Parirenyatwa, Gokwe, Gweru, Guruve, Gwanda, Karoi, Mutoko, Hwange, Mutare, Masvingo and Beitbridge.
Dr Musuku said they would also procure 27 pima machines (used for CD4 count testing) and 45 height boards and scales (for growth monitoring), which would be distributed to clinics and hospitals across the country.
The president of the chief’s council, Chief Fortune Charumbira said chiefs were going to raise awareness about the programme and encourage people to fully participate. He said they were going to make the programme successful through community mobalisation.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care, is leading the implementation of Zimphia in partnership with the National Aids Council, Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat), Biomedical Research and Training Institute and other international partners which include ICAP at Columbia University, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Westat.
Online Reporter