By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWEAN professionals and businesses in the UK’s growing health and social care sector will have an opportunity to network with other players in the industry and learn new trends when they take part in the Health and Social Care Meet and Greet in Northampton on June 17.

The event organised by WS Marketing and Golden Careers Management Ltd will be held at Holiday Inn Rugby Northampton M1 and hosted by presenter Kevin Ncube.

Diaspora Insurance is one of the event’s key partners and will be showcasing their services on the side-lines of the high profile indaba.

Diaspora Insurance specialises in crafting and distributing insurance and risk management solutions tailored to meet diasporans’ needs.

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In an interview with NewZimbabwe.com, organiser Wilson Mathe said the upcoming Meet and Greet is  aimed at promoting collaboration among health and social care providers in the UK.

“Until all our friends who are in the Health and Social Care Industry in UK get a fair share of the £27 billion plus, we will continue to Meet and Greet and share ideas,” Mathe said.

“Sometimes your break through is just around the corner. That one person at this event may change your entire life. In order to succeed in this industry, you need to associate with the correct people, create new networks, support those in need and deliver whenever possible.

He added: “This is a one of a kind event, aiming at those that may need further support or guidance. Those who are coming, bring your business cards. Bring your company’s marketing material. Be prepared to at least share your journey so far. We create new networking and business opportunities. We will share Healthcare  industry information that may be beneficial to everyone.”

Some of topics which will be discussed during the Meet and Greet event include:

• CQC and Ofsted Registration process / cash flow projections
• How to get clients and tenders
• Immigration and Sponsor license
• Semi-independent living
• Complex care
• What’s in the business of care
• Women in business
• Professionalism, boundaries and relationships
• Business ethics and experience

Headline speakers and resource persons at the Northampton event include Chengetayi Shoko from NHS, managing director of Ultra Healthcare and Ultra Healthjobs Godfrey Mushandu, Pardon Tapfumaneyi of PT Law and Associates, the CEO of Tulia Group Rumbidzai Bvunzawabaya, Gelly Manzira of Valour Healthcare, Simon Chinya of Blur Healthcare Associates, Joyce Kapesa of Joyous Consultancy, as well as the directors of Lime Healthcare.

Zimbabwean teachers are in the front row following a call by the United Kingdom for “the very best” overseas teachers to apply for vacancies, sweetened by a £10,000 relocation fee.

The UK is trialling recruiting overseas teachers to fill vacancies, and The Times reports that teachers from Zimbabwe, Ghana, India, Singapore, Jamaica, Nigeria and South Africa are set to benefit as they are considered to have historical education links to Britain.

The UK’s Department for Education has begun to offer “international relocation payments” to overseas physics and language teachers to cover visa and moving expenses.

Officials expect between 300 and 400 teachers to be recruited for the start of the next academic year in September. If the trial is successful, hundreds of maths, science and language teachers are expected to be brought in through this route in the next academic year.

The teachers must have a degree, recognised teacher-training qualifications, at least a year’s experience and the ability to speak English to undergraduate level.

Under current rules, teachers are granted visas to work in Britain if they have a job offer and earn a minimum salary based on their role – usually at least £27,000.

The UK’s Department for Education told the Times: “In March we launched a one-year trial offering no more than 400 of the very best teachers from around the world the opportunity to teach in our schools.

“This is one of many options we are exploring to ensure there is an excellent teacher for every child.”

It comes as teacher numbers across the UK are beginning to fall, with fewer than half the targeted number of trainee secondary teachers due to start this autumn.

Subjects including biology, history, Classics and PE are the only ones on track to meet government targets, according the National Foundation for Educational Research.

An exodus of maths and science teachers would be a new blow to Zimbabwe which has lost thousands of health professionals to the UK in the last year.

New data shows a massive jump in health workers recruited from Zimbabwe between March 2022 and March 2023.

Between March 2021 and March 2022, 2,630 Zimbabwean health workers including doctors, nurses and nurse aides were granted UK visas. This jumped 562 percent between March 2022 and March 2023 as the UK welcomed 14,791 Zimbabwean health professionals.

Zimbabwe is only second to Nigeria, which lost 12,587 health professionals up from 5,009 between March 2021 and March 2022.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has now included Nigeria and Zimbabwe in a list of 55 “red flagged” countries from which developed nations have been asked not to hire healthcare workers. The WHO says the red flagged countries have fragile health sectors and need human resources.

The African countries on the list are Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Zambia.

By Staff Reporter

GOVERNMENT has upscaled the fight against drug and substance abuse with rehabilitation and psycho-social support centres for survivors soon to be established to ensure their full recovery.

So far, an out-patient rehab and psycho-social support centre has been opened in Harare and similar centres will be set up in other provinces.

Addressing journalists during the fifteenth post Cabinet briefing in Harare Tuesday, Acting Information Minister, Jenfan Muswere said the National Committee on Drug and Substance Abuse chaired by Defence Minister, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri had recommended appointment of a national coordinator to spearhead the response to the scourge in addition to setting up rehabilitation centres countrywide.

“Going forward, a National Coordinator will be appointed to coordinate policies and activities on drug and substance abuse.

“Government will establish rehabilitation and psycho-social support centres for drug and substance abuse survivors in order to ensure full rehabilitation and recovery,” said Muswere.

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Cabinet established the National Committee on Drug and Substance Abuse on April 19, 2023 in order to heighten the battle against supply of illicit drug and substance abuse, mostly blamed on rich and politically-connected individuals.

“The nation is being informed that progress recorded to date includes the following: drugs and substances worth Z$438 654 692 were intercepted under Operation Clean-Up Zimbabwe with 6 156 accused persons being arrested and prosecuted across the country.”

Muswere said assessment visits were made to ports of entry and exits to ascertain illegal drug and substance trafficking, while visits to mental health institutions and rehabs were also done to ascertain the impact of the menace.

“As a way forward, a National Plan of Action has since been adopted. Its key components include that the law enforcement units specialised in drug and substance abuse response be decentralised coupled with equipping the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s Forensic Laboratories by the end of the second quarter.

“… that seamless sub-national structures and family structures to heighten the response to the drug and substance abuse fight be established by end of

third quarter of 2023 and that multi-sectoral awareness campaigns be conducted to reduce the demand for drugs with religious leaders playing an active role in fighting the scourge through demand reduction.”

Private sector players were also urged to undertake Corporate Social Investment to deal with the drug problem.

The minister reiterated legal frameworks and policies on drug and substance abuse need urgent review and updating.

He said the Cabinet warned all those selling liquor without the requisite licences to desist from doing so while law enforcement agents were jerked to take action against those in defiance of statutes.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to launch the Nation Action Plan on Drug and Substance Abuse on a date to be advised.