Contents

Assignment 4........................................................................................................................................2
Discuss the health divide within your country and approaches that could be used to address
this? (30 marks)...................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................2
Health Divide in Zimbabwe................................................................................................................2
Approaches that could be used to address health divide in Zimbabwe...........................................4
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................5
References.............................................................................................................................................6

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Assignment 4

Discuss the health divide within your country and approaches that could be used to
address this? (30 marks)

Introduction
The phrase "health divide" refers to those disparities that exist between different demographic
groups with regard to health outcomes and access to healthcare services (Manuel, 2018).
Many environmental, political and socioeconomic variables have exacerbated health
disparities in Zimbabwe (Nhapi, 2019). Zimbabwe's health divide is exacerbated by
insufficient healthcare infrastructure, a lack of access to clean water and sanitation, lifestyle
decisions, lack of health education and awareness, and gender imbalances. Zimbabwe has a
high rate of health disparities, with noticeable variations in mortality, life expectancy and
access to healthcare among other health indicators (Chipunza and Nhamo, 2023).
Nonetheless, a variety of measures, such as increasing public health awareness and education
campaigns, increasing access to healthcare, addressing the socioeconomic factors that
influence health and modernising the infrastructure for medical facilities, can be utilised to
address health divide in Zimbabwe.

Health Divide in Zimbabwe

The socioeconomic disparity in health in Zimbabwe is a result of factors like poverty.
According to Zeng et al. (2018) poverty is a major factor in the disparity in health in
Zimbabwe. Low income limits Zimbabweans’ access to food, clean water and high-quality
medical care. Because of this, compared to their wealthier counterparts, the poorest sectors of
the population have greater mortality rates and are more susceptible to sickness (Brandily et
al., 2020). The growing wealth gap between the rich and the poor in Zimbabwe means that
not everyone has equal access to healthcare services (Nyandoro and Hatti, 2019). Due to their
frequent lack of access to high-quality healthcare, the population's poorer segments are more
likely to have preventable health issues (Streeter et al., 2020). This demonstrates clearly how
Zimbabwe’s high unemployment rate, extreme poverty and absence of social safety nets
exacerbate the country’s health disparity.

Furthermore, Zimbabwe’s health disparities are caused by poor healthcare infrastructure.

According to Nhapi (2019) and Roets et al. (2020) in Zimbabwe, there is a severe shortage of
medical resources, staff and equipment. The minimal number of hospitals, clinics and
medical specialists in the country is not enough to address the needs of its people. As a result
of uneven distribution of healthcare resources and services brought on by this inadequate
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infrastructure, many Zimbabweans suffer from poor health outcomes (Kavenga et al., 2021).
Due to poor infrastructure, lack of qualified healthcare workers and inadequate transportation
many rural populations, for example in rural communities of Southern Zimbabwe struggle to
receive basic healthcare services (Chimberengwa et al., 2019). Therefore, avoidable illnesses
and health issues are more prevalent in rural areas than in metropolitan ones.

In Zimbabwe, health disparities are also a result of differences in health education and
awareness. Inadequate health education and awareness contribute to significant health
disparities among the people of Zimbabwe (Mapanga et al., 2019; Nyamambi et al., 2020).
One of the main factors causing the health divide in Zimbabwe is the lack of access to
education in rural regions, which contributes to low literacy and a lack of fundamental
information about hygiene and health practices. According to Makurirofa et al. (2019) there
is lack of awareness related to cervical and breast cancers among women in Mudzi rural
district in Mashonaland, Zimbabwe. Many people are ignorant of the importance of
preventative healthcare procedures and lack the essential knowledge to make informed
decisions about their health (Mufunda et al., 2018). But this misinformation could lead to
worse health outcomes and delays in seeking medical attention. Furthermore, lifestyle
choices are influenced by health education, contributing to Zimbabwe’s health disparities
(Nkomani et al., 2021). In Zimbabwe, there are differences in health due to lifestyle choices
including using tobacco and alcohol. Non-communicable illnesses including diabetes,
hypertension and heart disease may arise from negative lifestyle behaviours.

Additionally, a contributing factor to Zimbabwe’s health disparities is the absence of easy

access to clean water as well as sanitary facilities (Calderon-Villarreal et al. 2022). Water
quality issues and inadequate sanitation systems are the root causes of diseases like cholera
and typhoid that spread through urban areas such as Mbare and Mufakose in Harare
(Nyaruwata, 2020). Specifically in rural regions of Zimbabwe, there are a lot of villages
without reliable supplies of clean water or proper sanitary systems. According to Chiniko
(2019) lack of access to clean water increases a person’s risk of contracting waterborne
infections, which can be harmful to their health. Cholera and typhoid fever are particularly
dangerous diseases in places where there is insufficient access to clean water and sanitary
services such as Mkoba in Gweru (Matsa et al., 2021). As a result of this, Zimbabwe’s high-
density suburbs may have higher fatality rates from typhoid and cholera than from low-
density suburbs if the illnesses are not well treated.

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More specifically, differences in gender affect health disparities in Zimbabwe as well.
Women often face more barriers when attempting to get healthcare due to financial status,
violence based on gender and cultural norms (Kimani et al., 2020). This might result in
higher rates of maternal mortality, inadequate methods for contraception and increased
susceptibility to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. In Zimbabwe’s poorer
regions, social norms such as early marriage ages, high family sizes and discrimination
against women are more common and have been connected to poor health (Ndhlovu and
Tembo, 2020).

Approaches that could be used to address health divide in Zimbabwe

Improving Zimbabwe’s healthcare facilities can help in addressing the country’s health
disparity (Nhapi, 2019). Focusing on advancing the development of medical infrastructures is
one strategy to solve the health disparity in Zimbabwe (Roets et al., 2020). Investing in the
construction and maintenance of healthcare facilities is necessary to improve the
infrastructure for providing healthcare, particularly in isolated areas with limited access to
providers (Manuel, 2018; Mapanga et al., 2019). Moreover, efforts may be made to ensure
that these facilities have enough essential medical supplies, diagnostic equipment and
prescription drugs to meet the demands of the patients. By making improvements to the
healthcare infrastructure, people in marginalized communities such as Southern part of
Zimbabwe will have easier access to high-quality healthcare services (Chimberengwa et al.,
2019).

In addition, improving public health awareness and education can help to solve Zimbabwe’s
health disparity problem (Nyamambi et al., 2020). Campaigns for public health education and
awareness are essential in resolving health inequities in both developed and developing
countries (Calderon-Villarreal et al. 2022). Education initiatives result to early medical
intervention, illness prevention, healthy lifestyle choices and increase maternal health among
members of diverse cultures. By educating people about their health, we can help them to
avoid the spread of diseases caused by poor hygiene practices (Chiniko, 2019; Nyaruwata,
2020). Health education campaigns improve the capacity of the people to seek advice from
medical professionals when diseases arise in their communities. However, this increase the
protection of people of various ages, gender and communities from different diseases.

Furthermore, the problem of Zimbabwe’s health disparity may be resolved by addressing

socioeconomic determinants of health (Nkomani et al., 2021). Social determinants of health,

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including living circumstances, education level and poverty, are frequently the source of
health inequalities (Nyandoro and Hatti, 2019). As a result of this reducing health inequities
in Zimbabwe requires addressing these fundamental issues. Adequate nutrition, access to
clean water and sanitation, better educational opportunities and poverty reduction may all
have a substantial influence on the general health of marginalized communities (Zeng et al.,
2018; Chipinza and Nhamo, 2023). In order to address these socioeconomic determinants of
health, cooperation between governmental bodies, non-profits organisations and local
authorities is essential.

Lastly, access to healthcare services may be improved with the use of community-based
strategies involving community health workers, traditional healers and local leaders (Manuel,
2018). Participatory initiatives that enable communities to take charge of their health promote
long-lasting gains in health outcomes in Zimbabwe (Nyandoro and Hatti, 2019). Another
crucial strategy for addressing Zimbabwe’s health disparity is to make healthcare services
more accessible to all citizens of the country. Easy access to healthcare services in Zimbabwe
may be accomplished by implementing programs like health insurance program expansion,
low-income people’s healthcare bills being subsidized and mobile clinics that travel to rural
locations (Roets et al., 2020; Kavenga et al., 2021). Furthermore, in order to guarantee that
all populations have access to basic medical care, initiatives to attract and retain healthcare
professionals in rural areas are crucial (Streeter et al., 2020; Kavenga et al., 2019).
Healthcare workers in rural areas of Zimbabwe should be provided with better rural
allowances and free houses to motivate them. This increase the number of healthcare workers
who prefer to work in rural areas than in urban areas hence health divide between urban
people and rural people is reduced.

Conclusion
Zimbabwe’s health divide a complicated problem that need to be addressed using various
approaches. Zimbabwe may endeavour to lessen the health divide and enhance the general
health and well-being of its people by making investments in healthcare infrastructure,
increasing human resources, putting community-based healthcare initiatives into place,
tackling poverty and encouraging preventative healthcare measures.

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