Story by Abigirl Tembo, Health Editor
HARARE – IRELAND has played a critical role in strengthening Zimbabwe’s health sector, with the country having invested over US$30 million in the local health system since 2015.
Through strategic partnerships with the Global Fund and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ireland has helped equip Zimbabwe with vital infrastructure, including a newly commissioned medical waste incinerator at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital and a 450kW solar system at NatPharm’s warehouse.
These investments are ensuring safer hospitals, better storage of medicines, and uninterrupted power supply for health facilities, and ultimately more consistent, reliable healthcare delivery for patients across the country.
Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr Neale Richmond, who toured the sites together with the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, and representatives from UNDP and Global Fund, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to maintaining funding levels despite rising fiscal pressures elsewhere.
““When far too many countries are turning their backs on international development, Ireland has not cut its international development budget. And we will continue to work with our partners across the global north, be they within the European Union or beyond, to state the importance of international development,” said Mr Richmond.
“It is an investment for Ireland to be committed to our friends in Zimbabwe and to the multilateral system. That investment provides a very real return, and it will continue. We will work absolutely with our partners here in Zimbabwe to ensure they realise their ability to invest in their healthcare system, and we will be there every step of the way, not just morally, but financially,” he added.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Zimbabwe, Dr Ayodele Odusola, underscored the broader impact of the investments being made, including improved environmental safety and energy resilience.
“Today’s event is a demonstration of participation in action, moving from commitment to development outcomes. What we have witnessed are modern solutions to persistent problems in the health sector. The incinerator commissioned here in Harare is complemented by another at Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo,” Dr Odusola said.
Health and Child Care Minister, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, said the support goes beyond infrastructure and helps to build a resilient and patient-centred system.
“Medical waste causes a lot of contamination because it is coming from hospitals, blood, urine, faeces, you name it. Including, at times, sputum, all those things. So people who are in the hospital obviously have infections, and those infections can spread if medical waste is not properly disposed of. So this is why this is very, very important, because we at times need to pay private incinerators to be able to deal with our medical waste. So this is very, very important. For the first time, we now have capacity as a government to deal with all our medical waste, and we’ll have even excess capacity to deal with private medical waste if they need the facility,” he said.
As Zimbabwe prepares for the next Global Fund replenishment, the government has reaffirmed its commitment towards increasing domestic health investment while strengthening international partnerships.
With ongoing support from Ireland and other key donors, the country is steadily working towards a more inclusive and resilient health system that ensures every patient, no matter where they live, has access to timely and high-quality care.
