High-powered panel for health sector challenges webinar

PREMIER Service Holding Company group chief executive officer Farai Muchena and Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) chief executive Shylet Sanyanga will be part of a high-powered panel spearheading discussions in a webinar on challenges affecting the health sector on March 31.

Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe chief executive Shylet Sanyanga

The webinar, being hosted by the Daily News Conferencing Unit in partnership with PSMAS, will also feature the chairman of the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) Phillip Bvumbe and executive director of the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) Itai Rusike. Lewis Chikurunhe, the commercial director for the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe, publishers of the Daily News and the Daily News on Sunday, has described the four-member panel as “equal to the task”.

“The webinar, to be moderated by experienced broadcaster Christina Nyirenda-Chimuka, is part of efforts to critically look at the challenges afflicting the health sector and, in particular, medical aid societies. Given the importance of the task at hand, it was important for us to scour the length and breadth of the country looking for the right people to help us critically look at the very unfavourable situation in the health sector.

“I am happy to say we have put in place a very knowledgeable and experienced panel. Our panel is made up of people from institutions and bodies that are repositories of knowledge and expertise on the health sector,” said Chikurunhe.

The ANZ spokesperson praised PSMAS for rallying behind the event to be officiated by Health and Child Care deputy minister John Mangwiro. “PSMAS, which has been a key player on the Zimbabwean health scene for close to nine decades, has a proven track record of coming up with innovative products and services for the benefit of their members.

“We are therefore delighted that such an experienced and innovative player has come on board to fund the costs of hosting the event,” he said. Among other issues, the forthcoming webinar is expected to discuss the relationship between healthcare funders and healthcare providers, impact of Covid-19 on the sector as well as strengthening the country’s capacity to prevent and respond to health emergencies such as the coronavirus pandemic.