Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Mutare Bureau
GOVERNMENT is moving to tighten accountability and ensure measurable results in the health sector under the National Health Strategy (2026-2030), with a strong focus on implementation, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora has said.
Speaking while officially opening the National Health Strategy validation workshop in Mutare yesterday, Dr Mombeshora said the new strategy marks a shift from policy formulation to delivery.
He further warned that progress will now be judged on improved health outcomes rather than plans and targets.
“The era of planning without implementation is over. If we take every target, measure every output and still do not improve outcomes, then we must go back and ask ourselves what we are really doing,” said Dr Mombeshora.
He said the strategy was aligned with the National Development Strategy 2 and Vision 2030, positioning health as a key driver of economic growth.
“A healthy population is not a by-product of development, it is a driver of that development,” he said.
Dr Mombeshora said Zimbabwe has recorded significant progress in the health sector in recent years, including improved life expectancy, sustained HIV 95-95-95 targets and a decline in maternal mortality.
He said the country had also expanded health infrastructure, strengthened energy resilience in health institutions, improved access to medicines and advanced digital health systems.
“These are real achievements. They represent lives saved and dignity restored,” he said.
Despite the progress, Dr Mombeshora acknowledged persistent challenges, including financial constraints, gaps in medicines and equipment and inequalities in access to healthcare, particularly in rural areas.
“These are not excuses, they are our habits. They must be addressed,” he said.
He said the new strategy prioritised strengthening domestic financing, expanding and supporting the health workforce, modernising infrastructure and scaling up digital health systems.
Dr Mombeshora also stressed the importance of coordinated implementation across Government institutions, noting that health delivery requires a Whole-of-Government approach.
“Without the right people in the right places with the right support, no strategy will succeed,” he said.
He stressed the role of key institutions, including the Public Service Commission and health regulators, in ensuring effective delivery of services.
Dr Mombeshora said the Government will provide continuous policy direction, oversight and support to ensure the successful implementation of the strategy.
“We will address policy bottlenecks decisively, strengthen coordination, align financing with priorities, monitor progress regularly and take corrective action when necessary,” he said.
Dr Mombeshora said the strategy represents a commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality health services for all Zimbabweans.
“This strategy is a social contract with the people of Zimbabwe. It is a commitment that every citizen, whether in urban or rural areas, will have access to quality health services,” he said.
Also giving his welcome remarks, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Aspect Maunganidze, said the Ministry is ready to implement the strategy and ensure results are achieved.
“We are ready to implement the National Health Strategy. Our priority is to move with urgency from strategy to action,” said Dr Maunganidze.
He said the Ministry will focus on tracking resources, measuring targets and reporting progress transparently.
Dr Maunganidze acknowledged that implementation has often been a challenge in the past, with well-developed strategies not translating into tangible outcomes.
