The Government of Japan recently committed US$ 633,975 to strengthen access to safe, timely and affordable Surgical, Obstetric and Anaesthesia (SOA) care services in Manicaland and Matabeleland North Provinces.
The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO). The funding is expected to build the capacity of critical specialist health workers providing SOA services in Zimbabwe, provide basic and critical SOA equipment and consumables at selected high-burden secondary-level health facilities, and strengthen the national Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) to allow effective decision-making. It is expected that, by the end of 2023, a significant number of patients in need of surgical care services will have received high-quality care.
The Ambassador of Japan to Zimbabwe, H.E Mr. Satoshi Tanaka, said, “Zimbabwe’s sustainable development and the attainment of its vision of a middle-income country by 2030 can only be assured if its citizens are healthy and have access to quality health care services. Japan will support Zimbabwe’s efforts to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by strengthening access to safe, timely and affordable SOA care, for which there is a dire need.”
Zimbabwe is currently experiencing challenges in providing SOA care services owing to lack of surgical equipment, a shortage of medicines, consumables, and sundries essential for SOA care services. This has seen a decline in essential surgical procedures being done in hospitals across the country and resulting in long waiting lists.
The Permanent Secretary for MoHCC, Dr Jasper Chimedza, highlighted that MoHCC is committed to ensuring that every person in need of SOA services receives quality and timely care at all levels of the healthcare system. In this regard, the SOA care system is currently being strengthened, as articulated in the first-ever National Surgical, Obstetric and Anaesthesia Strategy (NSOAS: 2022 – 2025), which was launched in September 2022.
The supplementary budget funding from Japan will make a significant contribution to the delivery of quality surgical care services in Zimbabwe. Essential surgical and anaesthetic care is an indispensable component of UHC.
“The MoHCC will maintain its stewardship in making progress towards achieving the highest possible level of health and quality of life for every person in Zimbabwe. The funding will also contribute to the ongoing efforts to address some of the emerging challenges of Non-Communicable Diseases which include conditions amenable to surgical care,” said Dr Chimedza.
