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Andile Tshuma, Chronicle Correspondent
HEALTH and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa has appointed a six-member Health Services Board chaired by public health expert Dr Paulinos Ncube.
Dr Ncube is deputised by Professor Auxilia Munodawafa and other members are Human Resources expert Memory Nguwi, Monitoring and Evaluation expert, Mrs Sefe Bhebe, a Physician Dr Stanley Mungofa and Mrs Mercy Gwaunza, a legal expert.
The new board, which replaces the previous one that was led by Dr Lovemore Mbengeranwa, has been appointed at a time the sector is facing serious challenges related to shortages of health specialists, under-staffing at clinics and hospitals, deteriorating healthcare infrastructure, lack of laboratory equipment and poor service conditions for health professionals.
Dr Parirenyatwa urged the newly appointed members to work hard to turn around the fortunes of the health sector which he said was in dire need of revival.
“This is a very special day, we used to be all under the Public Service Commission and then there was a commission set up by the then President in 1998 where they did a review of the health system and one of the recommendations was that there be a health services commission,” he said.
“So you as a new board, as we inaugurate you, want you to start work immediately. As I leave here we want you to have a board meeting. You had four weeks without a board and that is not good.”
Dr Parirenyatwa said the ministry had initially planned to set up a health services commission in 1998 under the leadership of former President Robert Mugabe, but due to constraints, ended up forming the board.
“We were not quite successful in getting a commission. We got a board which essentially has the same functions as a commission because it is now responsible for all the employees in the health sector whether professionally – health or non-health. The board still has functions to do; they have to take in all the local authorities’ health personnel and the churches to be under the board so we still have some work to do,” he said.
– @andile-tshuma
Online Reporter