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Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
ZIMBABWE and the rest of the Sadc region need a multi-pronged approach in the fight against pandemics and epidemics that bedevil the region.

This was said by Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Philip Valerio Sibanda in a speech read on his behalf by Airforce of Zimbabwe commander Air Marshal Elson Moyo while opening the Zimbabwe uniformed forces 9th annual health conference here.

This year’s edition of the meeting is focusing on how the Covid-19 pandemic, TB and HIV/ Aids have caused untold suffering, loss of life, unemployment, socio-economic challenges and mental stress. It also seeks to come up with mitigatory measures.

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

There are also delegates from Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia security forces.

The theme for the three-day conference is: “Comprehensive management of TB and HIV in the Covid-19 era: Ending the pandemics.”

Gen Sibanda said Covid-19 disrupted lives and negatively affected patients as follow-up of chronic medical conditions could not be done properly.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress in providing essential TB services and reducing TB disease burden.

There is also a need to strengthen social protection and universal health coverage.

In order to end TB and HIV/Aids, there is a need for a multipronged approach that includes ending poverty, inequity, unsafe housing, discrimination and stigma.

These are the core drivers and social determinants of the diseases.

“Supply chains for medicines were affected leading to artificial shortages of TB and HIV/Aids medicines among other challenges.

Despite the gloomy picture, Covid-19 brought out the best in us in terms of innovation and resourcefulness,” said Gen Sibanda.

He said Zimbabwe shares the vision of a world free of TB where there will be zero deaths and suffering from TB.

Covid-19 challenged the vision and goal of the “End TB strategy,” hence the need to maintain guard against Covid-19 and other chronic illnesses.

Gen Sibanda said Covid-19 lockdowns disrupted HIV testing and led to decline in diagnosis in some countries, resulting in significant reduction in TB and HIV notifications during 2020-2021 period.

“Actions to mitigate and reverse the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on TB are urgently needed and the immediate priority is to restore access to and provision of essential TB services such that levels of TB case detection and treatment can recover to at least pre-Covid19 era,” added Gen Sibanda.

Addressing the Press later on, ZDF Director General Health Services, Brigadier-General Dr Godfrey Mutetse said the conference is a valuable platform for sharing knowledge and experiences on TB, HIV/Aids and Covid-19 and how these affect other diseases like hypertension, asthma and others.

“This is a platform that was created to share ideas with colleagues from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Nac and other Sadc defence forces

Our uniformed forces come from communities and therefore those conditions that affect the population also affects them.

It is therefore prudent that we work together with the line ministries in coming up with strategies and activities that help alleviate these conditions

“We contribute towards crafting of the national strategic plans for the disease conditions that prevail in this country and there are certain activities that we are expected to implement as we directly contribute towards the national aspiration of reducing the burden of disease in the country,” he said.

ZRP Director for Health Services Commissioner Dr Edward Fusire said the uniformed forces contribute to national strategic formulation of policies.

He said the Zimbabwe uniformed forces is a unique group in the world as it contributes to health in terms of human resources and equipment.

“This conference is a major contributor to the running of public health services in the country. So basically we are a major stakeholder in health as we are embedded in the role of providing security,” said Dr Fusire.

Namibia Defence Forces Head of Wellness Division Colonel Marane Mavangua and Zambia Defence Forces Commandant for Mainasoko Medical Centre Brigadier General Dr Bernard Kapatamoyo concurred that the Sadc military health service working group’s common goal is to reduce the effects of emerging pandemics and epidemics and help deal with cross border challenges. — @ncubeleon