Chronicle Editor
Michell Zvanyanya, Chronicle Reporter
The Stop TB Partnership Zimbabwe (STPZ) has called on the private sector to partner the Government to fight against Tuberculosis (TB) as the country works towards its elimination by 2035.
In an interview yesterday, the Stop TB Partnership chairperson Mr Ronald Rungoyi said STPZ programme is part of a global movement established in 2001 meant to push TB up the political agenda and is being hosted by the Jointed Hands Welfare Organisation (JHWO) in the country.
He said Zimbabwe’s goal of eliminating TB by 2035 could only be achieved through collective effort from the Government and the private sector.
Mr Rungoyi said engaging corporates to work closely with the Ministry of Health and Child Care will ensure availability of a broad range of resources to intensify efforts to fight against TB.
“We call on the private sector to be actively involved in the fight against TB through providing ideas, resources and technical assistance. The country level Stop TB platform is a voluntary alliance between organisations and people from corporates, civil society and media working collaboratively towards ending TB. Our national TB control programme vision is to see a TB free Zimbabwe by 2035,” he said.
Mr Rungoyi said the private sector will not only help in promoting availability of resources to fight against TB but could be used as platform for health promotion and behavioural change.
“For example, it can push our messages to guarantee a wider coverage,” he said.
Mr Rungoyi said collective partnership with private sector could also accelerate the elimination of the TB scourge through creating home-based solutions to the challenges hampering the fight against it. “Our vision is to also ensure that we have a reduced mortality of all forms of TB by 80 percent. We seek to reduce the number of deaths of TB by 95 percent by 2035,” said Mr Rungoyi.
He said various initiatives implemented by Government to address TB over the years have contributed to a decline in the number of new TB cases during the past five years.
Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released statistics which showed that Zimbabwe recorded the highest decline in TB cases in Africa by 10 percent between 2010 and 2017. WHO attributed the success in the fight against TB to a number of interventions programmes being rolled out by Government. — @michellzvanyanyan2
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