Covid-19: VP Chiwenga commends Govt, private sector co-operation VP Chiwenga officially opening AHFoZ conference in Victoria Falls yesterday

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
GOVERNMENT has commended the co-operation of the private sector in improving the country’s health system during the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, a partnership that must continue even after the virus has been brought under control.

This was said yesterday by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, who is also Health and Child Care Minister when he officially opened the Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) annual all-stakeholders’ conference in Victoria Falls.

VP Chiwenga commended the private sector for heeding Government urgent call for intervention following the detection of the Covid-19 in March last year.

He said while Government is the biggest funder of health services, the contribution of the private sector is irreplaceable.

“My ministry appreciates the role of the private sector to rebuild the healthcare sector through complementing Government in the provision of accessible and affordable quality healthcare services for our people. It is common cause that when Covid-19 was first detected in the country Government immediately announced the guidelines for prevention and triggered all systems into motion, AHFoZ came on board and took part in the education and awareness campaigns.

“As soon as vaccination became available, the Government embarked on massive vaccination, again medical aid societies voluntarily supported the vaccination. When Government invited you the private sector to participate in the programme, medical aid societies willingly embraced the challenge to enhance access to vaccines by their beneficiaries and members of the community at large. Well done and I urge medical aid societies to continue supporting the Government in these endeavours, we are in this together,” said VP Chiwenga.

He said beyond the pandemic, Government is working on strategies to improve healthcare services offered at public sector facilities through re-equipping hospitals and boosting ambulance fleet.

VP Chiwenga said Government will put in place robust and appropriate public-private-partnerships.

“Remember when it comes to funding, Government is the biggest funder but we value your support and so together we have got to co-operate, together we have to co-ordinate and to work together to come up with strategies. Pulling apart won’t save us but working together we will achieve more. Going together in re-equipping hospitals we will complement each other and save,” said VP Chiwenga.

“Right now, we have a huge budget which we are taking to the citizenry of the country due to the outbreak of the pandemic which has ravaged the world and has not spared Zimbabwe, and any other pandemics which we might have in the future. We will do our part and we expect you to do yours.”

He acknowledged contributions made by medical aid societies that have gone beyond just paying medical expenses but have invested in the provision of healthcare services. The VP said the healthcare services complement the overstretched services provided by the public sector to ensure that affordable quality healthcare services are available not only to their members but others as well.

He said there is a need for continuous improvement in the healthcare ecosystem to be able to cope with demand.

VP Chiwenga said plans of introducing universal health cover are still underway and this will coexist with medical aid societies, adding that the intention is not to distract the system that is functioning well but to improve its efficiency.

He said there is also a need for joint meetings to discuss how to balance funding for healthcare services.

The theme for the conference which ended yesterday was: “Pandemic, Panic, Leapfrogging and Transformation.’’

VP Chiwenga said discussions and resolutions from the forum will feed into the objectives set by the Government towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals, whose realization dovetails with the country’s vision of becoming an upper middle-income society by 2030 as espoused by President Mnangagwa.

He said following adoption of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1, 2021-2025) the Ministry of Health has developed its National Health Strategy (2021-2025) for alignment with  NDS1 and will in due course share the revised NHS document with AHFoZ.

The NHS will enable the private sector to structure industry strategies in a way that supports NDS1.

Among those who attended were Health Deputy Minister Dr John Mangwiro and Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Richard Moyo who reiterated the Second Republic’s commitment to providing specialist health services closer to the people. — -@ncubeleon

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