Online Reporter
Zimpapers Politics Hub
ZIMBABWE and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to improving healthcare delivery through enhanced oversight, accountability and equitable distribution of services.
The renewed collaboration was highlighted during an engagement last week on strengthening Parliament’s oversight tools. This is particularly so with the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care.
The initiative falls under the UK-Zimbabwe Health Partnership, part of the Global Health Partnerships programme.
It involves the Health Service Commission (HSC), the Ministry of Health and Child Care, and the Zimbabwe Life Project.
HSC secretary Dr Christopher Pasi welcomed the partnership, noting that involving Parliament was vital for holding the health sector accountable.
“When we sold the idea of this initiative (inclusion of the Parliamentary portfolio committee) to our UK health partners, they felt it was critical to engage and collaborate to enhance a quality and effective healthcare system,” he said.
“With the use of the developed oversight tools, the parliamentarians are now able to make factual noise through critical interventions that ensure a good and responsive health delivery system for the people.”
The partnership has already supported training workshops for provincial and district health officials, tapped into Zimbabwean diaspora expertise and mobilised resources for the health sector.
Mr Ben Cattermoul, head of human development and inclusion at the British Embassy in Harare, said the partnership gained urgency after Covid-19 exposed global health vulnerabilities.
“In the last five years, the global health system has been under immense pressure and faced many challenges from the demands of the people,” he said.
“Zimbabwe and the UK have been working together and providing significant services, but after Covid-19, we figured we had a lot of resources that could be utilised to reinforce deep relations between our people and professionals.”
UK-based Zimbabwean mental health specialist Ms Lucia Vambe, who is part of the initiative, stressed the importance of diaspora knowledge-sharing.
Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care chairperson Dr Josiah Makoni pledged to adopt the tools to improve health governance and delivery.
Online Reporter