HARARE, Jul. 16 (NewsDay Live) – Government has deployed health workers and established temporary clinics at ports of entry to provide Zimbabweans returning from South Africa with up to five days’ worth of antiretroviral (ART) medication as authorities respond to an influx of returnees.
Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora told the National Assembly this week that more than 99,000 returnees have been screened at the country’s borders, with health checks also extended to travellers transiting through Zimbabwe to Malawi and Zambia.
Responding to a question from Mashonaland West legislator Mutsa Murombedzi on measures to ensure continuity of HIV treatment, Mombeshora said returnees were being screened for chronic illnesses, including HIV, diabetes and hypertension, at all ports of entry.
He said emergency ART clinics at border posts were dispensing a maximum five-day supply of medication to allow patients to travel to their home districts, where they are required to register for long-term treatment after undergoing baseline tests, including viral load assessments.
Mombeshora said Zimbabwe could not immediately place returnees on long-term treatment at the border because the country uses different HIV treatment regimens from South Africa.
“We have to take them on board with our own regimens here. We really have to monitor and do a series of tests to make sure that they are now compatible with those treatments,” he said.
Keep Reading
- Positive living: Importance of HIV viral load testing
- Positive living: Importance of HIV viral load testing
- Parly approves 2022 supplementary budget
- Call for fresh PVOs Bill public hearings
Budiriro South MP Darlington Dzikamai Chigumbu asked whether government was using technology or pre-trained models to match South African and Zimbabwean treatment protocols.
“The short answer is no, we do not have those models,” Mombeshora replied.
Mbizo MP Corban Madzivanyika sought to ask why government had declined a reported US$365 million offer from the United States in 2025 for contraceptives and HIV vaccines amid reported shortages.
However, Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda ruled the question out of order, saying it related to broader health policy rather than the treatment of returning migrants.
Mombeshora said government was also coordinating with regional partners to strengthen disease surveillance and prevent communicable diseases from crossing Zimbabwe’s borders.