Malaria scourge: Community education vital cog to save lives

By Nhau Mangirazi, Newsday

Sadness engulfed Rosina Mujakachi after visiting her pregnant sister battling a malaria attack at Karoi District Hospital two weeks ago.

Her sister was among the over 30 people from the surrounding outlying Hurungwe villages receiving treatment for malaria at the hospital.

It is reported that at least five people died this month at the medical institution when malaria cases peaked in the rural communities, including a malaria hotspot, Kazangarare in Hurungwe North constituency.

Mujakachi said her sister, who is from the Kazangarare area, was diagnosed with malaria. Nyama resettlement is also another malaria hotspot that claimed a local headman last week, according to sources.

Mujakachi was grateful that her sister was being treated.


CWGH Executive Director Itai Rusike

“My concern is on communities which get free mosquito nets regularly but ignore proper use of the nets,” said Mujakachi, adding that most villagers appeared to be reckless about their health.

Hurungwe district medical officer, Munyaradzi Chidaushe, confirmed a malaria outbreak in the area.

“We are calling for precautionary measures from everyone. People must seek medical attention urgently so that we can curb malaria. They must use mosquito nets regularly,” Chidaushe said.

Local transmission in the community has been reduced to very low levels among most outlying rural communities within Mashonaland West province, in three districts, including Chegutu, Mhondoro Ngezi and Zvimba.

Other districts like Kariba, Sanyati, Makonde and Hurungwe are in the control phase where the malaria disease burden is significantly high.

Ironically, last week, Kariba district recorded a surge in malaria cases that reached a peak of 87 cases in one week.

Mosquito illustration

Kariba district medical officer Godwin Muza told stakeholders that the cases were in both urban and rural communities.

Of these 30% are from Msampakaruma rural, with Nyamhunga in Kariba town pegged at 24%.

Kanyati and Kasvisva are at 10% apiece while Gache Gache stands at 8%.

Mahombekombe and Siakobvu have 6% of the cases each.

On April 25, Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world to celebrate World Malaria Day amid renewed calls for community education to support malaria eradication.

Women Action Group director Edna Masiiwa commended Zimbabwe for making positive strides in combating malaria through donor support.

“Fortunately, Zimbabwe has sound policies on malaria with full-fledged personnel at the ministerial level covering all communities with the support of grassroots community health workers. Some donors, including the Global Fund, are pushing the country’s agenda of malaria eradication. We hope it further helps the country to reinvest and reimagine its focus on the malaria thrust,” she said.

Masiiwa, however, noted that the health sector faces challenges of worker flight.

“Retention of some workers in health sector remains a challenge, but we hope and trust that it will be corrected sooner rather than later,” she added.

She bemoaned abuse of mosquito nets in some communities.

“As a country, we must continue with community education to help those mostly affected in remote areas understand the positive gains of using mosquito nets donated freely for their well-being. It’s a challenge that the country faces and needs a holistic health approach to overcome,” Masiiwa, a women’s rights advocate, noted.


Mrs Masiiwa

Community Working Group on Health executive director, Itai Rusike, admitted that malaria remains a national health challenge.

“The burden is particularly devastating for pregnant women and young children,” Rusike said.

He added that sustained funding was critical to keep prevention and treatment efforts on track.

“If mosquito nets and preventive medicines for pregnant women are unavailable, lives will be lost. When the supply of test kits and first-line treatments is disrupted, malaria cases and deaths spiral. Investing in the fight against malaria not only saves lives but also boosts productivity, creates economic opportunities, strengthens national health security and makes the country safer for everyone,” Rusike said.

“Now is not the time to pause the fight. It’s the time to give everything or risk a surge in malaria cases, growing resistance and the spread of the disease across districts including to non-malaria areas. If left unchecked, malaria will become much harder and more expensive to control, thereby putting millions of lives and decades of progress at risk.”

Rusike, a health advocate, said the country must act decisively to end malaria as a public health threat and build a healthier, safer, more prosperous future for all.

“Everyone must help in the eradication fight,” he said.

Mashonaland West provincial health promotion officer, George Kambondo, said World Malaria Day was a reminder for continued efforts to eliminate malaria and ensure a healthier future for all.

“Let’s work together to raise awareness, support research and advocate for better healthcare systems. Zimbabwe joins other countries in the world to commemorate Malaria Day. Let’s fight malaria. Together, we can make a difference and save lives,” he said.

Kambondo added that there was a need for combined efforts.

“Let’s remember that every life lost to malaria is one too many. By investing in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, we can save lives and build stronger, healthier communities,” he said.

According to government, Manicaland province is the most affected province, contributing 40,7% of malaria cases and 38,8% of deaths in the country, followed by Mashonaland Central, which contributed 28,2% of cases and 24% of deaths.

“Children under 5 years of age account for 14% of the cases. Nationally, there were 36 423 malaria cases with 85 deaths recorded,” the statement by the Health and Child Care ministry said.

On a positive note, Africa stands at the forefront of a revolutionary shift in global health, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and data science, according to a report released in early April.

The landscape presents an unprecedented view into the potential to improve AI governance in Africa to reduce the risk and stop the perpetuation of inequity.

Titled Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Global Health in Africa, the report was sponsored by Science for Africa Foundation after a culmination of a year-long effort involving convenings across Africa’s five regions, policy analysis and extensive surveys to identify policy gaps and opportunities in AI and data science for global health.

This year’s theme is Malaria ends with us, reinvest, reimagine and reignite, calling for renewed investment, innovation and commitment at all levels of the malaria eradication community to accelerate progress towards ending the disease.

Globally, there were 597 000 malaria deaths in 2023, with 263 million new cases of malaria in the same year.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 95% of malaria cases are in the African region.

The global community recommitted to eradicating malaria in the late 1990s and, as a result, an estimated 2,2 billion cases and 12,7 million deaths have been prevented over more than two decades.

WHO noted that after years of a steady decline, progress has stalled.

“Further progress and decades of hard-won gains are in jeopardy.

Extreme weather events, conflict, humanitarian emergencies and economic stresses are disrupting malaria control efforts in many endemic countries, leaving tens of millions of people with limited access to the services they need to prevent, detect and treat the disease,” WHO said.

It added that without prompt treatment, malaria can rapidly escalate to a severe illness and death.

“It’s time to recommit to ending malaria. We have the knowledge, life-saving tools and targeted prevention, testing and treatment methods to defeat this disease.

We must reinvest in proven interventions, reimagine our strategies to overcome current obstacles and reignite our collective efforts together with countries and communities to accelerate progress towards ending malaria,” WHO said. – Newsday

How Zimbabwe’s Health System Profits From the Dead

A shortage of pathologists and a culture of corruption have made mortuaries sites of extortion and grief.

By Linda Mujuru


Emily Muchabaiwa comforts her sister-in-law, Antonette Chisango, as she mourns the loss of her husband. Muchabaiwa wasn’t satisfied with her brother’s postmortem results, and like many in Zimbabwe, they were left with more questions than answers in a health system plagued by corruption and understaffing.

HARARE, ZIMBABWE — Blessing Mucharambei’s uncle was just having lunch when he stood up, then collapsed. “[He] started bleeding from the nose,” she says, “and died on the spot.”

As far as his family knew, he had no health problems. As they struggled to make sense of the news, Chitungwiza Hospital — where his body had been taken to a mortuary — told them that a forensic postmortem would be required.

Zimbabwean law mandates postmortems for sudden or unexplained deaths, and public hospitals offer them for free. But there are only five qualified pathologists in Zimbabwe serving a population of close to 17 million people. The wait could stretch for days. And each day the funeral was delayed would add to the cost of hosting mourners, as some traditions require.

A police officer stationed at the hospital offered them a workaround. Instead of a forensic postmortem, they could do a general one — an option when no foul play is suspected, and quicker since it doesn’t require a specialist. But even that, he warned, could take days. He offered to fast-track the process for a US$30 fee. Desperate to bury their loved one, they paid.

“We couldn’t afford the time,” Mucharambei says. “We did it because we had no choice.”
A country in freefall

Postmortem bribes are just one element of a health system — and state — in freefall. Hospitals across the country are plagued by chronic underfunding, obsolete infrastructure and the mass emigration of medical professionals seeking better pay abroad. The government estimates that the country needs more than US$1.6 billion for its health sector to recover.

Underpaid and overstretched health workers have come to rely on informal payments as a means of survival, says Dr. Norman Matara, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association. “People are trying to survive. But over time, corruption becomes part of the culture.”

He says it’s a common problem across hospital services, from the moment a patient is admitted. New mothers, for example, face extortion for birth cards meant to be free. A 2021 study from Transparency International Zimbabwe surveyed over 1,000 people in Zimbabwe and found that 74% had been asked to pay a bribe while trying to access health care services.

In March, a nurses’ protest at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital — the largest referral hospital in the country — exposed how dire the situation is. It was the latest in a long history of strikes by health workers, who have repeatedly protested poor pay and deteriorating working conditions. But their actions are often met with intimidation. In June 2022, the government responded to a strike by passing a law banning health care workers from striking longer than 72 hours, with penalties of up to six months in jail for participants and organizers.

A hospital corridor leads to the mortuary at Parirenyatwa Hospital. Zimbabwe’s public health system faces a severe shortage of pathologists, leading to postmortem delays and widespread bribery. Families say they’re often pressured to pay unofficial fees to expedite the process or obtain basic information about their loved ones.

A manufactured problem

Pathology services are particularly strained, Matara says. The few available specialists are clustered in major hospitals, which creates opportunities for exploitation.

Few medical students choose the career, and those who do face an uphill battle. Training programs are underfunded, mentorship is scarce and working conditions at public hospitals are dismal.

But this is partly a manufactured problem, says Memory, a nurse at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, who asked to use her middle name for fear of losing her job. Memory has worked at the hospital’s mortuary close to 20 years.

“There isn’t really a backlog but a fake one is created by police officers, the doctors and mortuary staff to pressure families into paying,” she says.

These services are supposed to be easily available, she adds. A Cuban doctor performs the forensic postmortems on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while the general ones are done daily. But families are often told there are delays. At times, they are asked to pay US$50 to skip it entirely, even when it’s required by law, or US$100 to expedite the process, Memory says.

“It’s a moneymaking scheme at the expense of grieving people,” she says.

Global Press Journal reached out to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital for a response to these allegations. They declined to comment.

Tendai Terrence Mautsi, the public relations officer at Parirenyatwa Hospital, the largest public hospital in Zimbabwe, says there are occasional delays with forensic postmortem cases, mostly due to demand. The hospital, he says, has responded by increasing forensic postmortem days from two to three. They’ve also cut the average waiting time from up to two weeks to just three days. To address the national shortage, Mautsi says, the hospital has partnered with Cuban doctors to fill the skills gap.

He acknowledges that corruption has plagued the process. But, he says, it’s part of a much bigger unravelling, and everyone has become complicit.

“At times you can’t find evidence,” he says. “When you want to investigate it, the patient is complicit. The service provider is also complicit.”

In the end, corruption harms people in need, says Tafadzwa Chikumbu, the executive director of Transparency International Zimbabwe. “For those who can’t afford to pay [a bribe], it means being left unattended,” he says, which erodes the integrity of public institutions.

The solution, he says, is to make ethical conduct — including fair hiring and honest service delivery — the standard.


Emily Muchabaiwa, in hat, Antonette Chisango and Keldon Muchabaiwa sit at their home in Harare. The sudden death of Emily Muchabaiwa’s brother — Chisango’s husband — was marred by irregularities, including the absence of a written report and the lack of a clear explanation from medical staff.

A cover-up?

Postmortem corruption means some families never find out what happened to their loved one. When Emily Muchabaiwa’s brother was found dead in Harare’s industrial area, his family was desperate for answers. The circumstances of his death weren’t clear, and the family hoped a postmortem at Parirenyatwa Hospital would offer closure.

Per standard procedure, a medical doctor or the pathologist should explain the results to the family, Matara says. There should also be a written report. But it was a police officer who delivered the results, verbally, to Muchabaiwa’s family. There was no official report.

“[He] told us my brother had died from tuberculosis and a cold in the lungs, but he struggled to explain the medical terms. Prior to all this, my brother had no signs of sickness,” she says.

The family was suspicious. Muchabaiwa says they believe the death involved foul play and the process was compromised. It would cost the family money to delay the funeral, so they buried her brother, who left behind a young son.

“We had no choice,” she says, voice trembling. “The postmortem failed us. Corruption failed us.”

The article was first published in the Global Press Journal.
Photos Credit: Linda Mujuru

Linda Mujuru is a Reporter-in-Residence for Global Press Journal in Zimbabwe, where she covers foreign direct investment and its effects on local communities. She holds an MBA from Midlands State University and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Media Studies from the National University of Science and Technology. Linda is one of Global Press’ most widely read and syndicated journalists and won the Community Champions Award from the Nonprofit News Awards for her story “Push for Gold Leaves a Toxic Legacy.”

Transforming Lives: The Impact of CWGH’s Pad-Making Initiative


Zandile Nkomo – I am thrilled to share my story with you

As a Gender Justice Champion, I, Zandile Nkomo, from Tshitshi Ward 4 in Mangwe District in Matabeleland South Province, have had the privilege of working with women and girls in my community who have experienced gender-based violence (GBV). My journey began with extensive training to address GBV and I have become a trusted leader and advocate, providing support and guidance to those in need in my community.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) for equipping me with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively address GBV and promote menstrual. Their training and support have been instrumental in my growth as a Gender Justice Champion.

One of the most useful tools in my work has been the KOBO Collect tool. I have been trained to use this tool to collect and analyze data, enabling me to better understand the needs of my community and provide targeted support. I am excited to continue using this tool in my future work.

One woman I have had the privilege of working with is Similo Ndebele (not her real name), a survivor of GBV. When I met Similo, she was struggling to cope with the trauma of her experiences. With my support and guidance, she accessed the help she needed, including counseling and legal aid. My advocacy empowered Similo to speak out about her experiences and seek justice.

The CWGH project’s pad-making initiative was a turning point for Similo. She learned how to make reusable sanitary pads, which not only improved her menstrual hygiene management but also provided her with a valuable skill and economic opportunity. This initiative has been a powerful tool in promoting menstrual hygiene and empowering women and girls in our community.


Women making their own pads and for the community

What brings me joy is witnessing the impact of our work. We have donated 70 reusable pads to people living with disabilities in our community, bringing dignity and comfort to those in need. This act of kindness reflects our commitment to inclusivity and social responsibility.

The impact of this project, which is supported by Christian Aid, has been profound. My work has raised awareness about GBV and fostered a culture of respect and equality.

The CWGH project’s pad-making initiative has given Similo a new sense of purpose and economic independence, and our community has come together to support and empower one another.

I am proud to be part of this journey. I hope it inspires you to join us in our mission to create a more just and equitable world for all.


As Similo said: “Your support and advocacy have changed my life. The CWGH project’s pad-making initiative has given me a new sense of purpose and economic independence. I’m grateful for your dedication to promoting gender justice and empowering women and girls in our community.”


Menstrual Hygiene is of paramount importance Continue reading “Transforming Lives: The Impact of CWGH’s Pad-Making Initiative”

Afya na Haki Zimbabwe Partner Visit

Afya na Haki’s Zimbabwe Partner Visit – meeting Wlsazim and CWGH to deepen collaboration and ensuring the greatest possible impact on promoting reproductive justice within the legal framework. Turning our ideas into Action. @followers

Childhood on the Brink in Zimbabwe’s Midlands

By Gamuchirai Masiyiwa,


Eneles Zhou cooks outside her home. Zhou, a mother of five, has dedicated her life to caring for her children with sickle cell disease.

ZVISHAVANE, ZIMBABWE — Morning light slants through the window as Eneles Zhou inspects two of her children. They’re wrapped in blankets. Despite March’s typically warm days, in this home in the Midlands province, Zhou’s children struggle with temperatures their bodies cannot regulate.

A mother of five, Zhou quickly coaxes flames to life and prepares porridge, timing it with the children’s medication schedule — folic acid to boost red blood cells, then hydroxyurea to prevent any complications. Over the years, this routine has become familiar.

When her firstborn was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, a hereditary disease, at 7 years old, Zhou had never heard of it. Doctors told her that 1 in 4 children might inherit it, and with two symptom-free, she clung to hope.

But by 2021, tests had confirmed that three of her children carry a severe form of the disease. Two others have a milder version.

Zimbabwe’s widespread failure to screen newborns means many families only discover the condition after irreversible damage has begun. Without early detection, children often suffer severe complications or die, even before the age of 5, says Dr. Patience Kuona, a pediatric hematologist who’s spearheading a sickle cell research initiative.

In 2024, Zimbabwe launched its first pilot screening program, testing 550 newborns and revealing that the sickle cell trait affects between 3% and 12% of the population. The data is not yet published, says Kuona, the lead researcher.

Still, the pilot — part of ongoing research by the Sickle Hemoglobinopathy Research in Zimbabwe and Zambia — marks only the beginning of a much longer journey for those with the disease.

Specialized care, especially for families outside major cities, remains a mirage. Essential medicines — folic acid, penicillin, hydroxyurea — are often unavailable in public health facilities. Advanced treatments such as bone marrow transplants and gene therapy are not available due to resource constraints. Specialized sickle cell disease clinics exist in five central hospitals, with limited provincial access.

“Pain relief is there, but opioids are scarce in lower-level hospitals,” Kuona says.


Eneles Zhou high-fives her daughter, Partner Sibanda, at Gresham Primary School. Despite frequent absences due to her sickle cell disease, Partner excels academically.

Sickle cell disease, the world’s most common inherited blood disorder, warps healthy cells into crescents. The sickle cells break down easily, leading to anemia. They can also clog small blood vessels, causing excruciating pain and organ damage.

Globally, 7.74 million people bear this genetic burden. Over half a million children were born with the disease in 2021. While Zimbabwe’s 12% prevalence rate appears modest compared to hot spots like Nigeria, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo, where rates soar to between 20% and 45%, the country’s fragile health care infrastructure magnifies suffering, turning what should be a manageable condition into a daily battle for survival.

Zhou’s case is especially challenging. Her five affected children are different ages — one adolescent, two teenagers and two preschoolers — and the complications worsen as children grow, with higher risks of infections, kidney problems, blood clots and stroke.

Zhou’s eldest, Panashe Sibanda, 20, has endured the worst. Despite six daily medications, he is constantly in pain. He struggles to sustain friendships. He can’t join gatherings because pathogens infect him too easily. A simple cold triggers what he calls a “pain crisis,” which no over-the-counter painkiller can relieve.

For 1 in 3 people with sickle cell disease, pain is a near-daily companion. More than half grapple with pain most days.

“I’ve survived 61 near-death experiences since I was 13,” Sibanda says.

The disease burdens families financially through frequent hospitalizations and work loss. Zhou’s husband’s irregular carpentry work barely sustains them. Zhou doesn’t work outside her home; her children’s disease requires full-time care.

During her children’s playtime, Zhou remains alert. These aren’t carefree moments of childhood abandon; they’re carefully monitored sessions within the confines of their immaculate home. One dust mote could trigger an infection.

“I am always nervous,” she says. “Always anxious.”


Eneles Zhou walks her daughter, Partner Sibanda, to school. Zhou’s daily routines are shaped by her children’s medical needs, including monitoring school attendance.

Photos Credit: Gamu Masiyiwa
This article was first published in the Global Press Journal (GPJ)

A Worthwhile Opportunity #SRH

Afya na Haki (Ahaki) is an African research and training institute that uses africentric approaches to generate knowledge and enhance advocacy capacities in the areas of Health, Human Rights and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).

38 Measles Cases Reported in Zimbabwe

ZIMBABWE recorded at least 38 new suspected measles cases last week from all provinces except Bulawayo metropolitan.

The disease re-emerged several weeks ago and according to the Health and Child Care ministry, 15 suspected cases and zero deaths had been reported by April 3 this year.

The ministry said the cases were reported from Mashonaland East (6), Masvingo (2), Harare (2), Mashonaland Central (1), Mashonaland West (1), Matabeleland North (1), Matabeleland South (1) and one case in Manicaland.

The cumulative figures are 93 cases.

Experts who spoke to NewsDay expressed concern over the re-emergence of the medieval disease.

Johannes Marisa, a medical expert, said there was need for more awareness so that people knew how to prevent the disease.

“Measles has always been there and it can come in outbreaks which can be sporadic like what you highlighted above. What matters for now is for people to be cognisant of the fact that they have to receive a vaccination against measles, especially those that have not been vaccinated,” he said.

Marisa said children should be vaccinated at all costs to limit the risk of contracting the disease.

“Children should not escape vaccination. If one is not vaccinated, they are at a very high risk of mortality since the severity of the disease can be very high.

“I encourage everyone to take vaccination seriously so that we have a milder disease or we can stop the spread of the viral disease,” he said.

Marisa expressed concern over religious sects that do not embrace vaccination, saying this complicates healthcare delivery as it leaves people exposed to preventable diseases like measles.

Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike described the outbreak as unfortunate, adding it was sad that young Zimbabwean children, mostly those under the age of five, continued to contract measles despite the availability of a vaccine.

“The current measles outbreak in almost all the provinces may be as a result of a drop in vaccination coverage or depressed vaccination coverage post-COVID-19 and other health systems coverage.

“There is a need to accelerate immunisation activities to reduce measles cases and a deliberate effort should be made to reach out to the leadership of the various religious groups so that they can appreciate the benefits of getting their children vaccinated against measles,” he said.

Zimbabwe suffered a severe nationwide measles outbreak in April 2022 that proved to be deadly, particularly for children.

More than 750 children died from the disease within first six months of the outbreak.

Doctors fight silent war with mental health

By Nhau Mangirazi, Newsday


CWGH Executive Director Itai Rusike

DESPITE putting up a brave front while attending to patients, one of the few doctors assigned to a district hospital in rural Zimbabwe is unhappy.

Speaking in a hushed tone, he confesses that all is not well for the medical staff.

They normally face harsher realities of mental health challenges.

“The sad reality is that many doctors are undergoing mental health challenges fuelled by poor working conditions and lack of innovation and medical equipment to use,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“We are working under stressful conditions.”

Three medical doctors, instead of seven, man the hospital, making the workload unbearable for them.

According to a random survey, doctors have not been spared by mental health challenges which have become a growing concern, amid an economic crisis gripping the nation.

Key stakeholders have challenged government to invest more in the recruitment of medical personnel to ease the burden on the few who are working in the health sector, many of whom are considering migrating to stable economies.

The calls were made as the country commemorated the World Doctors Day on March 30.

Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights executive director Calvin Fambirai confirmed that all is not well in the health sector.

“There is poor and limited recruitment, retention of skilled healthcare professionals,” he said.

“This can be achieved through improved working conditions and fair remuneration.”

Fambirai further explained that shortages of essential medicines and medical supplies have worsened the situation.

“Generally, doctors face shortages of personal protective equipment and it’s a battle for survival,” he said.

“We are committed to doing our best, but these limitations affect our operations.”

Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike acknowledged that in Zimbabwe, the standards have fallen really low, where doctors suffer burnout, low self-esteem due to the system-wide poverty, limited management support and lack of staff health support.

“While this mostly pertains to the public sector doctors, those in the private sector are also suffering from fatigue and sometimes late or non-payment of claims by medical aid companies, which take advantage of both the service providers and the patients,” Rusike said.

He, however, noted that by design, the work of a physician is mentally challenging as one is always expected to be in the know and to provide solutions, including support to junior staff.

“When no one cares for the carer, this becomes a tall order and results in mental breakdown. The family and other societal expectations also add rather than subtract from this burden,” Rusike said.

“Furthermore, doctors work as multi-professional and multi-disciplinary teams if they are to deliver comprehensive patient management.

“The current situation of a multi-systems collapse exerts undue pressure on clinical and public health physicians and their respective teams as they fail to provide optimal care and yet they too have numerous insufficiencies at personal level.”

According to Rusike, the work of a doctor comes as a package and gets severely disrupted should the tools of trade be unavailable.

“While medical doctors require a hospital environment to deliver effective services, the population health specialists require a conducive framework combining socio-economic, political and environmental provisions in order to function optimally and deliver the full basket of preventive, promotive, therapeutic and rehabilitative services.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the commitment of doctors around the world was under silent crisis.

“Doctors worldwide face high levels of burnout, depression, anxiety and suicide. They dedicate their lives to healing others, yet their own mental health is often overlooked,” the global health body said in a statement on World Doctors Day.

It noted key facts affecting the doctors, including workload, low pay, unsafe environment and stigma that see many struggling in silence.

“WHO warns of a shortfall of 11 million health workers by 2030, where female doctors are 76% more likely to die by suicide than other women,” the statement said.

Globally, there are only 35% of countries that offer national work-related mental health support programmes.

“On this day, let’s raise awareness and celebrate doctors everywhere for the care and dedication they bring to their work everyday,” WHO concluded. -Newsday