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Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
THE Zimbabwe Uniformed Forces 9th annual health conference ended in Victoria Falls on Wednesday with participants recommending the need for more research for strategies that can help eradicate non-communicable diseases.

The three-day conference started on Monday under the theme: “Comprehensive management of TB and HIV in the Covid-19 era: Ending the pandemics.”

Delegates were drawn from the Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority as well as the Ministry of Health and Child Care, National Aids Council, Bulawayo, Harare and Victoria Falls City health services representatives.

Zimbabwe National Army

From allied forces, delegates were from Botswana, ESwatini, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zambia.
The conference deliberated on strategies to fight Covid-19, TB, and HIV and Aids among other chronic illnesses.

Participants said there is need to continue to join hands and tackle the triple pandemics as well as to intensify collaboration among partners and member states.

In closing remarks, ZPCS Commissioner- General Moses Chihobvu whose speech was read by his deputy Shepherd Mpofu, said management of diseases need advanced and urgent management strategies to minimise casualties.

ZPCS Commissioner- General Moses Chihobvu

This comes in the wake of the effects of Covid-19 which caused artificial shortages in the health sector especially in the management of other chronic illnesses and non-communicable diseases.

“As we return to our workstations, let us scale upwards awareness campaigns on the benefits of vaccination in the fight against this monster. Each and everyone’s cooperation is highly commended as we are all in a joint force in the fight against HIV and Aids and TB.

“Collectively we will definitely accomplish our departmental, national and subsequently regional goals. We need to continue probing further into sustainable strategies for permanently eradicating the HIV and Aids and TB related diseases,” he said.

Commissioner General Chihobvu said the theme aptly described the comprehensive management to be incurred in order to curb challenges on HIV and Aids and TB, which had been exacerbated by Covid-19 pandemic among the uniformed forces, communities and nation at large.

He said there is need to fight stigma which is more damaging than the diseases themselves.

“We now need as a collective to restrategise and redirect our efforts and resources towards reducing new HIV infections in the vulnerable age groups like young women who according to NAC are highly affected,” he said.

Commissioner General Chihobvu said there is a need to empower the girl child through programmes that support their aspirations such as the Determined, Resilient, Empowered, Aids Free, Mentored (Dreams) initiative.

-@ncubeleon