Online Reporter
Freedom Mupanedemo
Midlands Bureau
ZIMBABWE’S public health system will not deliver universal health coverage unless its workforce is physically fit, mentally resilient and financially secure, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora has said.
Officially opening the Inaugural Public Health Sector Wellness Festival in Gweru on Monday, Dr Mombeshora declared that hospitals do not heal people — people heal people, warning that machines and buildings alone cannot replace compassion and professionalism.
“This festival is more than an event on our calendar; it is a defining moment in our journey to build a resilient, motivated and future-ready public health workforce,” said Dr Mombeshora in a speech read on his behalf by Deputy Minister Sleiman Kwidini.
“A resilient health system requires a resilient workforce, and investment in infrastructure must be matched by investment in the people who operate it.”
Dr Mombeshora said the wellbeing of healthcare workers was not a peripheral issue but a strategic pillar of health systems strengthening and essential to universal health coverage.
He also said doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and support staff serve under extraordinary pressure, saving lives, working long hours and carrying emotional burdens that often go unseen.
The four-day festival, organised by the Health Service Commission, is focused on five wellness pillars: psychosocial support, occupational safety, physical fitness, financial literacy, and preventive health screening.
Mental health, he added, must no longer be hidden behind stigma, adding that healthy minds build healthy institutions.
Delegates will take part in stress management sessions, peer support groups and aerobics, which the minister said reduce stress, strengthen cardiovascular health and remind us that good health begins with personal responsibility.
He said occupational safety was another focus, with calls for every health facility to protect staff through safer workplaces, proper protective equipment and sound ergonomics.
The minister linked the wellness drive to Government’s wider health reforms under President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy.
“Hospitals were being rehabilitated and there are new facilities such as Stoneridge in Harare South, Cowdray Park in Bulawayo, Mataga in Mberengwa and Runyararo in Chimanimani under the NMS Infrastructure partnership,” he said.
“Modern equipment is also being rolled out, including imaging systems, dialysis machines, ICU equipment, oxygen plants and road and air ambulances. Digitalisation is accelerating through the Impilo Electronic Health Records system and eLMIS for drug stock management.”
New health worker posts
Dr Mombeshora commended the Second Republic for approving 5 284 additional health worker posts in 2025 and 8 785 in 2026.
“We commend the Health Service Commission for recruiting and deploying critical cadres, especially in underserved areas and for advancing staff welfare, career development and retention,” he said.
He added that the National Health Insurance Framework was undergoing final administrative processes and would provide the legal basis for equitable access to care once enacted.
Dr Mombeshora said some of the key highlights of the festival will be free screening for hypertension, diabetes, cancers and other non-communicable diseases.
“Prevention remains the most effective and affordable form of healthcare,” Dr Mombeshora urged.
“I encourage every delegate to use these services and to lead by example as ambassadors of healthy living in our families, workplaces and communities.”
He said the festival should become an annual flagship event and a “roadmap for institutionalising holistic wellness programmes across primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary levels of care”.
Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Owen Ncube commended President Mnangagwa for spearheading State and private sector-led provision of quality, affordable and accessible healthcare through various initiatives.
He said the Government should also be commended for spearheading prevention, early detection and management of non-communicable diseases such as BP, diabetes, cancer and heart diseases, particularly at the primary care level.
He also hailed the Government for the modernisation of health infrastructure through the construction of state-of-the-art mini-hospitals and specialist wards that include Mataga Mini Hospital in Mberengwa, Zvishavane and Shurugwi private wards.
