Health ministry receives $82m grant from UK

Source: Health ministry receives $82m grant from UK – Sunday News Nov 19, 2017

Wilson Dakwa, Sunday News Reporter
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care has received US$82,1 million from a United Kingdom organisation meant to improve the nation’s sexual, reproductive health and nutrition services for women, adolescents and children.

The funding came from the Department for International Development (DFID).

Speaking at the launch of the UK programme to support a Resilient Health System in Zimbabwe, the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Aldrin Musiiwa said Zimbabwe acknowledged the importance of partnerships in ensuring a high standard of health care.

“Earlier support from other stakeholders has helped to revive the nation’s health sector and this new support will go a long way in enabling Zimbabwe to continue to reduce the maternal mortality rate from the current 614 deaths per 100 000 live deaths.

“We are cognisant of the fact that on our own, we will not be able to achieve this mission but rather, a lot can be achieved through partnerships and support from all health partners and involvement of all stakeholders. The country remains focused on achieving the highest standards of health care and quality of life possible for all its citizens,” said Deputy Minister Musiiwa.

The grant will finance health interventions implemented under the Health Development Fund while US$2,2 million will be for strengthening the country’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks.

Key components of the UK programme include increasing the number of children receiving Vitamin A supplements from 624 248 to 1 101 614, reducing the percentage of adolescents with unmet family planning needs from 13 percent to six percent and increasing the number of women screened for screened for cervical cancer from 240 000 to 465 000.

The programme is also aimed at increasing the number of children with acute malnutrition who will be cured and discharged from 62 percent to 70 percent and increasing the number of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence accessing services within 72 hours per year from 1 600 in 2016 to 2 300.

Meanwhile, a state-of-the-art fully fledged diabetes clinic is set to be constructed for the Harare Central Hospital by early next year.

Speaking at the commemorations to mark the World Diabetes Day themed: “Women and diabetes, our right to a healthy future”. Lions Clubs governor for district 412 Mr Lion Jonah Machaya said plans were at an advanced stage to build a state of the art clinic solely catering for diabetic patients at the country’s biggest referral hospital.

“We have been working on sight and cataracts for the past 100 years and this year we have decided to build a clinic in Harare that caters for diabetics and paediatric cancer at Harare Central Hospital.

“This will see medical experts assessing patients, diabetes control, discussing any problems with them just to mention a few,” said Mr Machaya.

In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Province Miriam Chikukwa, Dr David Parirenyatwa said about 1,5 million Zimbabweans were diabetic with over half unaware. He added that the prevalence rate could have risen, as the last survey was carried out in 2005.

“Of those, half of the undiagnosed are not aware. Of these, 95 percent of the diabetes is type two, which is mainly caused by poor lifestyles namely consumption of too much starch, which is converted to fat, leading to obesity, hyperlipidaemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

“This is compounded by lack of physical activity, which is very rampant in urban areas these days,” he said.

He urged people to ensure they maintain healthy lifestyles.  — @WilsonDakwa1