ZPCS joins regional health experts at Bulawayo uniformed forces scientific conference

ZPCS joins regional health experts at Bulawayo uniformed forces scientific conference

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The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) is taking part in the 13th edition of the Zimbabwe Uniformed Forces Health Services Annual Scientific Conference, which opened on Wednesday at the Rainbow Hotel in Bulawayo.

This year’s meeting is running under the theme: “Integrated Health Futures: Addressing HIV, Non-Communicable Diseases and Comorbidities in a Changing World.”

Organisers said the conference has drawn health professionals, researchers, scientists and policymakers from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), ZPCS, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the National AIDS Council, development partners and delegates from the SADC region.

Delegates are attending from Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia, including military health services personnel, as discussions focus on evolving health risks facing uniformed services in Zimbabwe and the region.

ZPCS is being represented by a delegation led by Deputy Commissioner General Support Services Manetswa C Manhivi. He is accompanied by Acting Commissioner Health Services Assistant Commissioner Dr Memory Makuchete, Assistant Commissioner Nursing Services Alois Mandizvidza, and other health services personnel.

Opening the conference, Commander Zimbabwe Defence Forces, General Emmanuel Matatu, said health issues within the uniformed services directly affect operational performance.

“This theme is not just timely; it is essential. For us in uniform, health is not just a personal issue but a matter of operational readiness. A healthy force is a ready force, more so in this era where the health challenges we are facing are more complex than ever before,” Matatu said.

He noted progress made in addressing HIV during the past two decades, saying prevention and treatment programmes within uniformed services have expanded.

“Across Southern Africa, HIV prevalence among uniformed personnel has historically been two to four times higher than among the general adult population. However, thanks to strong leadership and sustained investment, many forces have reduced new HIV infections by more than 40 percent since 2010,” he said.

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Matatu said the gains against HIV have come alongside a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), warning that longer life expectancy and changing lifestyles are contributing to increased cases of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and cancers.

“As our people live longer, we are witnessing a steady rise in non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and cancers. Today, NCDs account for nearly one in every three consultations within many uniformed health services, representing about 33 percent and emerging as a significant new threat,” he said.

Participants are expected to use the conference to share evidence and develop practical, collaborative approaches for strengthening health systems across uniformed services, with a focus on managing HIV alongside NCDs and other comorbidities.

In a statement on its participation, ZPCS said the conference supports its efforts to promote the health and wellbeing of both staff and inmates through evidence-based healthcare, disease prevention, health promotion and strengthened medical services.

ZPCS said investing in quality healthcare remains central to its wider transformation agenda as a modern correctional institution, including building a healthy workforce to deliver “safe, secure, humane and professional correctional services” while supporting offender rehabilitation and reintegration.

The service added that its attendance also reflects its focus on partnerships and innovation in responding to emerging public health challenges in line with national and regional priorities, particularly around HIV, non-communicable diseases and comorbidities.

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