Parliament says Zimbabwe should allocate funds for research into traditional medicines in 2022 budget

Zimbabwe’s Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health has recommended that the Ministry of Finance should allocate funds for research into traditional medicines in the 2022 budget.

In its report on the development and promotion of traditional and complementary medicines, the committee also said the Ministry of Lands should earmark land for the cultivation of herbs for medicinal use in Zimbabwe by December 2021.

The ministries of education should consider inclusion of the traditional medicines into schools, colleges and universities curriculum to demystify the practice by December 2021.

The Ministry of Health should ensure collaboration of all relevant players in the sector to bring about coherence in the development of traditional medicines in Zimbabwe by December 2021.

The Ministry of Health should also ensure that traditional medical practitioners have access to laboratories, are trained to read results, have medical insurance and are able to use the modern medical instruments such as BP machines as their counterparts in the conventional medical field by August 2022.

Below is the committee’s report:

MOTION

SECOND REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND CHILD CARE ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION OF TRADITIONAL AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINES IN ZIMBABWE

HON. CHINHAMO-MASANGO: Madam Speaker, I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Second Report of the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care on the Development and Promotion of Traditional and Complementary Medicines in Zimbabwe.

HON. TOFFA:  I second.

HON. T. MLISWA:  On a point of order Madam Speaker.  Sorry if I am mistaken but I thought the Committee Chairperson is Hon. Dr. Labode.  Why is she not here to give the report?  What is the point of the Chairperson of the Committee not being here to discharge their duties?  What is so important that she is doing that she cannot be here?  We cannot have this happening all the time, people wanting to be chairpersons only to be just given cars which are better than Members of Parliament yet when it comes to them doing their duty they are not here.  I would like to know why she is not here.

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Thank you Hon. Mliswa.  Hon. Ruth Labode is away on other parliamentary duties.  So it is allowed for her to delegate another Member of the Committee to present the reports for the Committee here in the National Assembly.

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