Zimbabwe finalizes its Multi Sectoral Cholera Elimination Plan

When a cholera outbreak again struck the country in 2018, the Government of Zimbabwe rapidly set up an inter-ministerial cabinet committee which was tasked to implement a multisectoral strategy that would rapidly contain the epidemic which was threatening the lives of the population.

The coordinated response to the 2018 outbreak informed the decision of the Government to establish a National Task Force on Cholera Elimination (NTFCE) comprising all the relevant stakeholders working towards cholera prevention.  The NTFCE was asked to develop a multi-sectoral elimination plan for Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe Multi Sectoral Cholera Elimination Plan (NCP) paves the way for long term cholera prevention and control and also contributes to the objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP) which aims at taking Zimbabwe to a status of high middle-income country by 2030.

Between July 2019 and January 2020, the Zimbabwe NTFCE and the Cholera Elimination Secretariat worked closely with all relevant sectors and partners to develop the NCP. Six consultative workshops were held to address the key technical pillars of the plan and in January 2020 a validation meeting was organized with all stakeholders.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC) requested an external review of the Zimbabwe NCP by the GTFCC Independent Review Panel (IRP). IRP members will complete the review and provide their recommendations to the MOHCC by the end of March 2020.