THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged local health experts to re-examine the country’s existing structures in order to plug loopholes that could have been left out during the Ebola outbreak which claimed over 11 000 lives in West Africa early this year.
By Phyllis Mbanje
WHO representative to Zimbabwe, David Okello, made the call in Harare yesterday during the launch of the Zimbabwe Public Health Association (ZiPHA).
ZiPHA is a newly-formed health professionals’ body that envisions the attainment of an optimal standard of health He said the newly-formed body should be able to carry out research on the matter and advise the government accordingly.
“If Ebola had been imported into Zimbabwe, do you think we were going to handle it confidently?” Okello asked.
Speaking at the same event, Health minister David Parirenyatwa said lack of appropriate infrastructure and qualified staff had worsened the spread of the disease which killed over 11 000 people in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. He challenged ZiPHA to address issues of non-communicable diseases and the issue of litter.
“Why do we have people roasting mealie cobs on the streets, selling meat and other food stuffs,” he said.
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ZiPHA’s acting deputy head Nyasha Masuka said part of its mandate would be to promote better health services through advocacy, relevant policies and effective networking.