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Mukudzei Chingwere in LOMÉ, Togo 

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has explained President Mnangagwa’s strategic reasoning in assigning him two critical roles and how this has helped Zimbabwe in its disaster mitigation strategies.

VP Chiwenga also doubles as Minister of Health and Child Care, a position which means he juggled between two key assignments, particularly so at a time when Zimbabwe was faced with arguably the most challenging public health calamity in recent times – the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the Health Ministerial dinner on Afro Emergency and Response Flagship Programs held on the sidelines of the ongoing 72nd session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) regional committee for Africa, VP Chiwenga said Government had adopted a “Whole Government, Whole society” strategy in its response to disasters like Cyclone Idai and Covid-19.

His assigned role as Vice President, thus makes it easy for him to marshal relevant line ministries including the Ministry of Health and Child Care to respond comprehensively to challenges facing the populace.

The strategy is at the centre of President Mnangagwa’s thrust to bring quality life to the citizenry as well as thwarting calamities before they wreak havoc.

“The Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe is using the whole of Government, whole of society approach which has worked well in the response to natural disasters (Cyclone Idai) and the Covid-19 pandemic,” said VP Chiwenga in response to a question from the discussion moderator.

“My role as the Vice President and the Minister of Health and Child Care has made it easier to coordinate the Government response to health emergencies.

“The concept of the One Health Approach fits well into how Zimbabwe has been managing health emergencies. The One Health Approach has the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognising interconnection between people, animals, plants and their shared environment.

“The Public Health Emergency Operation Centre, which is run by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, acts as the central hub from which all health emergencies, including those requiring the One Health Approach, are coordinated,” he said.