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Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
ZIMBABWE and the rest of the Sadc need a multi-pronged approach in the fight against pandemics and epidemics that bedevil the region.
This was said by Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces General Philip Valerio Sibanda in a speech read on his behalf by Commander Airforce of Zimbabwe Air Marshal Elson Moyo while opening the Zimbabwe uniformed forces 9th annual health conference here.
This year’s edition of the meeting is focusing on how the Covid-19 pandemic, TB, and HIV and Aids have caused untold suffering, loss of life, unemployment, socio-economic challenges and mental stress as well as the need to come up to mitigatory measures.
Delegates are drawn from the Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority as well as the Ministry of Health and Child Care, National Aids Council, Bulawayo, Harare and Victoria Falls City health services representatives.
From the allied forces, delegates are from Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zambia.
The theme for the three-day conference is: “Comprehensive management of TB and HIV in the Covid-19 era: Ending the pandemics.”
Gen Sibanda said Covid-19 disrupted lives and negatively affected patients as follow-up of chronic medical conditions could not be done properly.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress in providing essential TB services and reducing TB disease burden. There is also need to strengthen social protection and universal health coverage and in order to end TB, there is need for a multi-pronged approach that includes ending poverty, inequity, unsafe housing, discrimination and stigma. These are the core drivers and social determinants of the diseases.
“Supply chains for medicines were affected leading to artificial shortages of TB and HIV and Aids medicines among other challenges. Despite the gloomy picture, Covid-19 brought out the best in us in terms of innovation and resourcefulness.”
He said Zimbabwe shares the vision of a world free of TB where there will be zero deaths and suffering from TB. Covid-19 challenged the vision and goal of the “End TB strategy,” hence the need to maintain guard against Covid-19 and other chronic illnesses.
Gen Sibanda said Covid-19 lockdowns disrupted HIV testing and led to decline in diagnosis in some countries, resulting in significant reduction in TB and HIV notifications during 2020-2021 period.
“Actions to mitigate and reverse the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on TB are urgently needed and the immediate priority is to restore access to and provision of essential TB services such that levels of TB case detection and treatment can recover to at least pre-Covid19 era,” added Gen Sibanda.
Addressing the press, ZDF director general Health Services, Brigadier General Dr Godfrey Mutetse said the conference is a valuable platform for sharing knowledge and experiences on TB, HIV and Aids and Covid-19, and how these affect other diseases like hypertension, asthma, and others.
“This is a platform that was created to share ideas with colleagues from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, NAC, other Sadc defence forces
“Our uniformed forces come from communities and therefore those conditions that affect the population also affects them. It therefore prudent that we work together with the line ministries in coming up with strategies and activities that help alleviate these conditions,” he said.
ZRP director for health services, Commissioner Dr Edward Fusire, said the uniformed forces contribute to national strategic formulation of policies. He said the Zimbabwe uniformed forces is a unique group in the world as it contributes to health in terms of human resources and equipment.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter