National

Health minister criticizes health funders for extortion, calls for regulation

Published

8 months ago

September 6, 2024

BY STAFF REPORTER

Zimbabwe’s government is crafting a National Health Insurance scheme to cover the majority of its citizens who lack health insurance.

Currently, a staggering 90% of Zimbabweans are without health insurance, with medical societies only covering 10% of the population.

The country’s economic woes, including corruption, bad governance, high interest rates, and exorbitant health fees, have eroded trust in health insurance among ordinary citizens.

At the 15th annual Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe conference in Victoria Falls, Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora expressed concern over the extortionist behavior of medical aids and health service providers.

He assured that the National Health Insurance scheme, whose principles have been sent to Cabinet, will address these anomalies and push out some small health funders.

Mombeshora emphasized the need for alignment towards measurable results, acknowledging the dynamic nature of healthcare.

“Financing of healthcare systems has become a global challenge, especially for low-income countries like ours,”he said.

“Zimbabwe is working hard to institute reforms that are designed to increase domestic funding for health.

“One key reform that has been on the agenda for long but being accelerated now is the establishment of a National Health Insurance Scheme.”

The Minister also highlighted ongoing legislative reforms, including the Medicines and Allied Substance Act, Health Professions Act, and the Medical Aid Societies Bill.

These reforms aim to strengthen regulation of health professions, create an enabling environment for health investment, and better respond to challenges and trends.

Mombeshora criticized some health funders for extorting money, stressing the need for regulation.

“We need to stop that and come up with policies on how health funders can be regulated. We have about 40 medical aids but how many are here? If they were genuine, they should be here; it’s not supposed to be a money-making business but a social service. We made a mistake of allowing health funders to be service providers,” he said.

The conference, themed “Zooming in on Health Outcomes – Making the Main Thing the Main Thing,” started on Wednesday and will end today.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

3 weeks ago

April 16, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

A National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) locomotive suffered significant damage after catching fire while transporting export coal to Zambi. The incident occurred between Kalala and Matetsi sidings, resulting in the explosion of the locomotive’s fuel tanks.

According to the NRZ press statement on Monday, “A National Railways of Zimbabwe locomotive suffered some damages after it caught fire this afternoon while transporting export coal to Zambia.” Fortunately, the crew members on board managed to escape unharmed.

The NRZ responded swiftly to the incident, dispatching a rescue train with crews to the site. The team successfully extinguished the fire, preventing further damage. However, the locomotive itself sustained considerable damage.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, with investigations currently underway. “Investigations are already underway to establish the cause of the fire and the amount of damage to the locomotive,” the NRZ statement read.

National

Ranger killed by elephant in Kariba

Published

2 months ago

March 14, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A 62-year-old ranger, Josphat Mandishara, was tragically killed by an elephant in Kariba yesterday.

Mandishara, who worked for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), was on patrol in the Gatche-gatche area with fellow rangers and police officers.

At around 10 pm, Mandishara returned to the harbor where their boat was docked, and that’s when he encountered the elephant. The elephant charged at him, causing fatal injuries. His colleagues were nearby, resupplying at the Gatche-gatche Irrigation Scheme.

Mandishara’s body was taken to Kariba District Hospital for a post-mortem, and the incident was reported to the police.

ZimParks has sent a team to manage the problem elephant and prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Director General of ZimParks, Prof. Edson Gandiwa, and his team have sent condolences to Mandishara’s family, friends, and colleagues. Mandishara will be remembered for his dedication to wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe.

National

ZIMRA customs officer appears in court for criminal abuse of office

Published

3 months ago

February 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) customs officer, Phillip Kuvenga, has been accused of criminal abuse of office for allegedly assisting in the importation of banned motor vehicles.

Kuvenga, 28, who is stationed at Victoria Falls, allegedly received documents from clients, completed valuation sheets, and carried out the valuation process. However, he is accused of endorsing different chassis numbers to deceive his supervisors during the validation and approval process.

After obtaining approval, Kuvenga would capture the correct chassis numbers in the ASYCUDA World System. He would then alter or replace the documents submitted earlier to his supervisors.

The offense came to light when a motor vehicle that had not yet arrived in Zimbabwe was found to have been already registered. A thorough check by ZIMRA led to Kuvenga’s arrest.

Kuvenga appeared in court on February 1, where he was denied bail by Magistrate Gift Manyka. He is expected to appear in court again today for another bail hearing.