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Herald Reporter
Government should urgently appoint members to all statutory health boards to ensure proper policy direction and guidance, Community Working Group on Health director Mr Itai Rusike has said.

He said the Government should look at the mandate of some of the boards which appear no longer fit for purpose.

This followed concerns over the National Aids Council (NAC), which has been operating without a board since March 2019 and without a substantive chief executive since 2018.

This also applies to the Public Health Advisory Board, whose term of office has lapsed

“These bodies are put in place as a result of Acts of Parliament relevant to the sector,” said Mr Rusike.

“When some of the bodies were established, it was for a specific cause and there has never been any review of their mandate to determine if they are still fit for purpose.”

Mr Rusike said there was need for reconstitution of the other various non-functional health boards that are critical in the face of mounting challenges affecting the health sector. “CWGH believes that the appointment of all statutory health boards as per the constitutional requirement should be prioritised and formalised without further delay,” said Mr Rusike

He said in considering the board members, the minister should be inclusive of all sectors. Corporate governance dictates that public institutions must not go for so long without a substantive board.

In Zimbabwe, Government policy states that the Office of the President and Cabinet vets all potential candidates who would have applied to any Government departments and institutions’ boards and then gives the appointing ministry the list of approved candidates.