Zimbabwe Urged to Address Health Inequalities

Mirirai Nsingo

Zimbabwe has been called upon to address health inequalities that hinder universal access of health care services.

In a World Health Day statement, World Health Organisation country representative Dr Alex Gasasira said it was critical to address issues of health equity.

“There is need to address issues that hinder people from accessing health care services. People’s access to health services including preventive services are influenced by their income, education, where they live, gender and whether they are disabled or not.

“Collectively we all have a role to play in addressing these in equalities. All of us have a role to address social and economic determinants,” he said.

World Health Day is commemorated annually on April 7 and this year’s theme is: Building a fairer, healthier world.

Dr Gasasira called for a collaborative effort by all stakeholders to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage.

“We should see why those who are left behind are being left. We have learnt many lessons during the Covid-19 times and these are the same lessons that we should carry through as we address challenges in the health sector.”

The WHO also expressed concern on the inequalities of vaccine access in Africa saying more should be done to bridge the gap.

The global body has commended Zimbabwe for its Covid-19 management and response: “Zimbabwe has done well in terms of Covid-19 response and we need to escalate response across the health sectors,” Dr Gasasira said.