Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora (pic by ZNNP+)
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
The Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, has said stigma and discrimination are eroding gains which have been made in the country’s HIV response.
Minister Mombeshora said that while the country has made great strides like achieving UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, it is unfortunate that stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV is still rife in communities.
He was speaking at a media and local development partners briefing meeting, which was held in Harare on Thursday.
“Stigma and discrimination remain among the most damaging barriers to Zimbabwe’s national HIV response.
“For people living with HIV, the impact goes beyond emotional distress, it is structural and systemic. Stigma isolates individuals, erodes their self-worth, and discourages vital actions like HIV testing, disclosure, and adherence to treatment.
“Discrimination in families, workplaces, healthcare settings, and communities creates fear and silence that allow the virus to spread unchecked.
“No one should feel shame for living with a health condition. Our collective commitment must be to build a Zimbabwe where every person living with HIV is treated with dignity, respect, and compassion free from judgment and fully supported to live a healthy, productive life,” said Minister Mombeshora.
He added that discrimination in healthcare such as segregated queues, breaches of confidentiality, or denial of care-undermines public trust, discourages service use and perpetuates inequities.
“Research shows internalized stigma leads to shame, isolation, depression, and low self-esteem, which reduce mental wellbeing and deter engagement with HIV services.
“Fear of judgment causes delayed care, increasing risks of late diagnosis and treatment failure, undermining individual and public health.
“As a nation, we must confront these realities with honesty and resolve.
“Addressing stigma and discrimination is not only a moral obligation, it is a public health imperative,” said Minister Mombeshora.
The minister also applauded the Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV (ZNNP+), saying they played a pivotal role in shaping the country’s HIV response.
He added that as a trusted partner to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, ZNNP+ champions the rights and dignity of people living with HIV ensuring their voices shape policy, service delivery, and community engagement.
“ZNNP+ leads efforts in stigma reduction, treatment literacy, adherence support, and community mobilization, transforming lives and breaking silence around HIV.
“Through peer-led initiatives, psychosocial support, and advocacy for equitable healthcare access, ZNNP+ strengthens resilience in affected communities and promotes a rights-based HIV response.
“Its partnership with the Ministry is vital to our shared vision of an inclusive, stigma-free, and health-secure Zimbabwe.”
Minister Mombeshora also revealed that the media plays a major role in reducing HIV stigma saying “your dedication as media professionals and development partners to shaping informed public discourse is invaluable, especially in our shared mission to reduce HIV stigma and promote inclusive, accurate health reporting.”
He emphasised that the media is an indispensable stakeholder in the Ministry’s work and plays a critical role not only in Zimbabwe’s HIV response but also in government policy formulation.
“You shape public awareness, foster accountability, and encourage dialogue that informs evidence-based decisions. You are not merely conveyors of information you are agenda-setters, influencers of public sentiment, and advocates for justice.
“Your voices are essential to advancing health equity, dispelling myths, and amplifying the resilience of those affected by HIV.”
He added: “we count on you (media) to educate the public with clear, science-based information: HIV is not transmitted through casual contact.
“When taken consistently, ART suppresses the virus to undetectable, untransmittable levels. PrEP remains a powerful prevention tool.
“We ask you to humanize the epidemic: tell the stories of ordinary Zimbabweans living with HIV-their hopes, struggles, and triumphs. Show the impact of funding disruptions in numbers and lives.
“We rely on you to mobilize public awareness and action: highlight consequences of inaction, spotlight faltering services, and challenge all stakeholders to prioritize our people’s needs.”
Sinokuthaba Mukungwa, ZNNP+ Strategic Information and Evaluation Manager
Sinokuthaba Mukungwa, ZNNP+ Strategic Information and Evaluation Manager, in her opening remarks representing her Executive Director, Tatenda Makoni, said they did a stigma index which revealed that in 2014, the country was at 65.5 percent.
A stigma index is a research tool or survey designed to measure the level of stigma and discrimination experienced by individuals or groups and in this case it was for HIV.
“We then also went on to do a second, a follow-up stigma index. We did a stigma index that we call Stigma Index 2.0 and we then saw that the HIV-related stigma from 2014 to 2022 had risen from 65.5 percent to about 69.7 percent.
“That was a cause of concern for us, and one of the recommendations that came about as a result of the stigma index was us to be able to do a costed stigma action and discrimination plan, where we could then tackle stigma and discrimination as it is on the rise, especially to do with HIV and people living with HIV in their diversity.
“So we are chasing after the 10-10-10s in terms of stigma, where the UN would like us to be less than 10 percent in terms of HIV stigma related for people living with HIV.
“But now we are still on the 69.7 percent.
“This initiative is through one of our plans or activities that came through from the costed stigma action plan that we then drafted.”
Turning onto the media, Mukungwa said “our words in their own have got power.”
She added: “how you disseminate or portray HIV to people living with HIV as you are disseminating information has got power in the way that they respond to the different treatments or the services that are then rendered to them.
“We would not like our people with HIV being diagnosed with advanced HIV disease simply because of the stigma and discrimination that is portrayed or the information that is being handed over from our media houses.”
Clever Taderera, AIDS Healthcare Foundation Prevention Manager
Clever Taderera, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Prevention Manager, urged journalists to be accurate and sensitive when reporting on health issues.
“So you need to ensure accurate and sensitive reporting and you need to focus on the needs of the specific people that you are addressing.
“So if you are writing something on stigma in Zimbabwe, it has to talk about the lived experience of people living with HIV in Zimbabwe so that people get to understand that, so that people get to really appreciate what you say.
“So appreciating the audience is very, very important. If you are speaking of stigma within sex workers, if you are speaking of stigma with the young people, you need to understand the audience.”
Taderera further called on media professionals to research on health issues so that they know the facts.
“There is no way in which you can know facts about HIV or report on health issues without knowing the facts and you get them through reading and through engaging researchers.
“So one is to focus on facts, use correct information about HIV transmission and highlighting that people on effective treatment they don’t transmit.
“We also really want journalists to showcase positive stories,” added Taderera.
Michael Gwarisa, Editor of the HealthTimes, among other things, called on his colleagues to also focus on the positive stories of HIV, by highlighting the gains being made in the country’s HIV response.
