Harare, 17 Oct. 2011 -- The Government of Zimbabwe is committed to addressing the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) and ensure equitable access to health for all Zimbabweans. This was said by the Honorable Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Henry Madzorera at a press conference he held on the eve of his departure for the World Summit on Social Determinants of Health in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. The Honorable Minister also launched the report of the first meeting on SDH in Zimbabwe held in June 2011, where the different stakeholders made commitments to address the identified gaps.

Minister Madzorera said the determinants of health are broad and cross cutting and can not be addressed by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare alone. He said there are gross inequalities in health in Zimbabwe and addressing the social determinants will greatly assist the nation's development. "We can't wait for people to fall sick so that we can mend them," said Dr Madzorera highlighting the need for conducive environments that will enable people to lead healthy lifestyles. Some of the ways that commitment has been shown so far include the slashing of maternity fees by half in all City of Harare clinics which makes it possible for women to deliver in a health facility attended to by skilled birth attendants.

Speaking at the same occasion, WHO Representative, Dr Custodia Mandlhate said WHO is committed to help the Government of Zimbabwe to address the gaps in accessing health and the unequal distribution of resources. She also commended the response to the cholera outbreak of 2009 which she said demonstrated that if all sectors come together great things can be achieved, and urged the Zimbabwe delegation to share the experience at the World Summit.

For more information contact: juliasw [at] zw.afro.who.int