By Desire Tshuma
Chinhoyi — NetOne is financing the first 10 mobile health kiosks that will be rolled out to all 10 provinces, as Zimbabwe moves to take basic healthcare to communities that have long been cut off from clinics. President Emmerson Mnangagwa will launch the Presidential Ward-Based Primary Health-Care Outreach Programme on Saturday in Chinhoyi, on the sidelines of the ZANU PF Annual National People’s Conference.
The programme is run by the ZANU PF Health Department in partnership with NetOne and ZimSmart Villages. The first 10 kiosks are the start of a planned rollout of 100 units to district level. The kiosks are three-wheeler units manned by nurses, offering initial health assessments, health education and telehealth links to clinicians, with referrals to hospitals and clinics where needed.
Planned services include blood pressure and blood glucose screening, maternal and child health support, malaria services, HIV and tuberculosis support, and early identification of cancer and drug and substance abuse, subject to approved clinical protocols. For many rural households, distance, transport costs and a shortage of health workers have meant late diagnosis and delayed treatment. The outreach is intended to close that gap by taking screening closer to homes.
NetOne spokesperson Ernest Magadzire said the company was using its 30th anniversary to support services beyond connectivity. “As NetOne celebrates 30 years of connecting Zimbabwe, we are proud to support an initiative that brings healthcare closer to the people. We believe connectivity must translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives,” he said.
ZimSmart Villages is providing the technical and operational framework, linking the kiosks to telehealth, community health workers and referral pathways. Chief Medical Officer Admore Jokwiro said the kiosks would act as gateways to care. “ZimSmart Villages is bringing together technology, healthcare professionals and community-based structures to create a practical pathway from initial screening to clinical consultation, referral and follow-up,” he said. “The Mobile Health Kiosks will serve as gateways to care, helping identify health concerns early and connect patients to the appropriate services.”
The initiative also builds on health outreach work championed by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa. Whether it succeeds will depend on staffing, supplies, clinical supervision and whether patients identified through screening actually receive treatment and follow-up. If those challenges are met, the programme could extend basic screening and health education to households that have for years been outside the reach of the formal health system.