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Abigail Mawonde Herald Correspondent
Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa met the Elimination 8 (E8) delegation which visited the country recently to discuss issues related to the elimination of malaria in Southern Africa.

E8 is a regional collaboration initiative by eight countries — Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe — to fight malaria.

It was formed in March 2009 in Windhoek, Namibia, in response to a call by the Africa Union (AU) and SADC to push the region towards elimination of malaria.

The initiative is guided by a Strategic Plan (2016-2020) by the SADC Malaria Elimination Framework and the SADC Protocol on Health.

Addressing the delegates in Harare recently, Dr Parirenyatwa said it was not possible for countries to eliminate malaria individually, hence the formation of the E8.

“We are working towards eliminating of malaria completely in these eight countries and therefore, the E8 was formed to do exactly that,” he said.

“Ambassador (Nchabi Richard) Kamwi here has been spearheading that in his role as the ambassador for the E8 countries and we are glad that we have the Secretariat based in Windhoek, Namibia, and they have come here to brief me as I also give them direction on what we want to do next since I chair the E8 Initiative.

“It is quite clear what we want to do — because we have realised that within individual countries we cannot eliminate malaria if the next door countries have not done so. So that is why we are saying let us collaborate as countries.

“Inter-country collaboration is key to E8 and when we collaborate it is in terms of knowledge, in terms of our strategy, in terms of laboratory sharing and in terms of data available in each country and we expect each country to be accountable — to own up and say we have done this far with malaria and this is where we are now. We share that together and we see where it is weak and then move to that country if it is weak.”

Dr Parirenyatwa said five health centres had since been created at the country’s border posts through the help of E8.

E8 Ambassador and Namibia’s former Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Nchabi Richard Kamwi said he was impressed with the quality of leadership skills that emanated from Zimbabwe.

“Like the minister has said, we were here to brief him, but number one, we have to thank him for quality leadership that Zimbabwe continues to demonstrate,” he said.

“First and foremost, they were a co-founder of the SADC Elimination 8 and, secondly, in his capacity as minister you know he has ascended to chairing the WHO (World Health Organisation) Regional Committee for the African region and you know it very well that Minister Parirenyatwa ascended to the presidency of the World Health Assembly for us in the region including the E8, that was exciting news such that we had to come and congratulate him.”