Zimbabwe National Commission holds inaugural meeting

The Zimbabwe NCDI Poverty Commission convened its inaugural meeting 23-24 September 2019 in Harare. The Commission is co-chaired by Dr. Justice Mudavanhu, Deputy Director for NCDs at the Ministry of Health and Child Care, and Professor James Hakim from the College of Health Sciences at the University of Zimbabwe, and brings together 23 other experts from government ministries, universities, hospitals, and civil society organizations.

Commission Co-Chair Justice Mudavanhu opened the meeting by introducing the Commission’s objectives and presenting data on the burden of NCDs and injuries in Zimbabwe. After reviewing and discussing the data extensively, the Commission conducted a priority-setting process to determine the priority NCDI conditions in Zimbabwe. On the second day, the group reviewed health interventions to address these conditions. The Commissioners agreed to gather additional data and perform further analysis before reconvening in a few months.