HARARE – The Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, has dismissed as malicious and unfounded an article published in a local daily that sought to cast aspersions on Vice President Dr. Constantino Chiwenga’s tenure as Minister of Health. Dr. Mombeshora emphasized that Chiwenga laid a strong foundation for the success of Zimbabwe’s health sector.
VP Chiwenga served as Minister of Health and Child Care from 2020 until August 2023, a period marked by the country’s most significant national health emergency as the world grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement yesterday, the ministry highlighted the country’s progress in achieving universal health coverage of sufficient quality to support an empowered upper-middle-income economy, despite the challenges posed by Covid-19.
Under VP Chiwenga’s leadership, the ministry launched an extensive national Covid-19 vaccination campaign, which played a crucial role in averting a major health crisis. During his tenure, the ministry also spearheaded numerous medical facility infrastructure developments.
This period saw praise from several international health organizations, including the WHO, UNAIDS, UNFPA, and UNICEF, for Zimbabwe’s exemplary efforts in the developing world.
“The current leadership in the Ministry of Health and Child Care is building on the successes of the previous leadership led by Vice President Dr. Chiwenga when he was Minister of Health and Child Care,” said Minister Mombeshora in a statement.
