National Health Strategy for Zimbabwe, 2009 – 2013

The National Health Strategy for Zimbabwe (2009–2013) updates and builds upon the 1997 National Health Policy. The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare reaffirms its commitment to achieving the highest possible level of health and quality of life for all Zimbabweans through the collective efforts of individuals, communities, organizations, and government. Recognizing the constraints posed by the prevailing socio-economic environment and limited financial and human resources, the Ministry acknowledges that full implementation of the five-year agenda cannot occur simultaneously. Accordingly, a Three-Year Rolling Plan will be developed to focus on priority performance areas where urgent improvements are most needed.
The Strategy is structured around four thematic areas that guide the nation toward its health vision (1) Determinants of Health focuses on factors beyond the health sector that influence well-being, integrating socio-economic advocacy, environmental protection, and behavioral change to improve quality of life. Through strengthened inter-sectoral collaboration, it aims to reduce equity gaps by improving living conditions, regulating environmental hazards such as pollution and poor sanitation, and promoting positive lifestyle changes among the majority of targeted populations to ensure long-term wellness; (2) Diseases Affecting Zimbabweans addresses the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases through targeted clinical and community interventions to significantly reduce mortality and morbidity. Priorities include lowering maternal and under-five mortality through high-impact child survival interventions, skilled birth attendance, and youth-friendly family planning; halting and reversing HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria; strengthening surveillance of epidemic-prone and neglected tropical diseases; and responding to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, mental health conditions, disability, and malnutrition to advance health equity and quality of life; (3) Health System Strengthening aims to reinforce the systems required for effective service delivery by stabilizing and reforming the health workforce, expanding tiered laboratory and diagnostic services, ensuring high availability of essential medicines and functional equipment, integrating traditional medicine, strengthening health information systems for evidence-based decision-making, securing sustainable health financing, decentralizing governance, and enhancing regulatory oversight to promote transparency and accountability; (4) Inclusive Implementation emphasizes broad stakeholder engagement, revitalizing community participation, empowering individuals and families to take responsibility for their health, reactivating village health workers, and strengthening collaboration among the public sector, private entities, and international partners to foster a coordinated, inter-sectoral approach to health development and resource mobilization.
More in detail, Goal 2 under the first thematic area aims to create a safe and healthy environment by strengthening Environmental Health Services, with a focus on safe water, sanitation, food safety, and personal hygiene. It seeks to (i) expand access to safe water and sanitation through strengthened programmes, household water treatment, improved waste management, and enforcement of food and water safety regulations, while promoting hygiene in homes and public spaces; (ii) raise national awareness of the health impacts of environmental conditions through community sensitization and health education on pollution control, waste disposal, and food safety; (iii) promote healthier rural and urban development by improving housing standards and revitalizing healthy villages and towns initiatives; (iv) reduce environmental pollution by institutionalizing environmental impact assessments, monitoring pollution, and reinforcing regulatory systems; (v) strengthen food safety through enhanced inspection, laboratory capacity, and enforcement of public health standards; and (vi) foster clean and hygienic living conditions through community participation, stronger advocacy, and integrated cross-sectoral planning and implementation.