Vice President Constantino Chiwenga on Monday said the Ministry of Health and Child Care is being restructured with a new sustainable funding model, far greater effectiveness, and a new work ethic for staff.
The restructuring is following three stages which are:
- to add a new top layer to the national health delivery system.
- to develop an organised strategic department.
- to develop and adopt a sustainable funding model for the national healthcare system and develop conditions of services for the health staff to drive the new Ministry of Health and Child Care structure.
This is a departure from the traditional national health care system which had four levels: primary health centres, district and mission hospitals, provincial hospitals; and central or teaching hospitals. VP Chiwenga said:
We have now added the fifth level or the quaternary hospital which is a high-level research and development hospital.
The five levels are designed to result in an efficient and effective national healthcare system that produces and depends on high-level science in executing the health services.
The newly structured Ministry of Health will now be composed of nine divisions that are headed by chief directors including the eight specialised departments.
However, it must be noted that the total establishment of the Ministry of Health and Child Care has not been changed.
The nine divisions will cover:
- research biomedical engineering
- biomedical science
- biopharmaceutical engineering and production, general health services inspectorate
- logistics and assets management
- personnel and external relations
- human resource management
- health professional council and regulations
- finance and corporate services
- public health policies corporate and strategy
- curative services.