WHO Representative Praises Zimbabwe's Health Delivery System Infrastructure

The outgoing World Health Organisation representative, Dr Everisto Njelesani stated that during his five-year tour of duty the Government of Zimbabwe in co-operation with the WHO and using mainly local resources had scored notable achievements. These achievements include significant reduction in the rate of HIV/ AIDS from the previous 33% to 18%. He said the number of people accessing ARVs had increased and that this was being sustained.

He noted that child immunization had been successfully implemented countrywide. He further pointed out that education on maternal healthcare was being satisfactorily conducted throughout the country. He said basic drugs to fight malaria and cholera were being made available in virtually every district. In addition, chemicals to fight malaria had been strategically distributed throughout the country.

Despite the loss of health workers to developed countries Zimbabwe has managed to train health workers who have been very effective at local and district levels.

The decline in infant mortality rate comes at a time when the country has reduced its HIV prevalence rate from 33% in 1999 to 15.2 in 2007. This was prompted the defined and effective HIV/AIDS policies, educational awareness campaigns and significant strides made in the prevention of Mother to Child Transmission [PMTCT] programmes. Nearly all the districts have at least one facility for providing HIV testing and counselling.