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Impact of capital flight on economic growth in Zimbabwe (1980-2010)
No full textThe study empirically examined the impact of capital flight on economic growth in Zimbabwe for the period 1980 to 2010, using the ordinary least squares (OLS) technique. In the estimated model, current and one-period lagged capital flight variables were found to be insignificant. However, two-period lagged capital flight reported a negative and significant impact on economic growth. The findings also indicate that while gross domestic investment positively affects economic growth, the occurrence of droughts has got a negative effect. Therefore, economic growth in Zimbabwe can be sustained through the adoption of policies that lessen the impact of capital flight. These include, drought mitigation measures and tax incentives that promote gross domestic investment
Randomised control trial comparing two regimens of prophylactic antibiotics for women undergoing caesarean section
No full textIntroduction
Infection is one of the major complications of surgery. Caesarean section is the single most important risk factor for postnatal infections [2]. Prophylactic antibiotics have become a standard of management for people undergoing surgery. According to the EDLIZ 2006, women undergoing caesarean section should be given a single dose of Benzyl penicillin 5MU iv and Chloramphenicol 1gram iv. However at Parirenyatwa and Harare hospitals, patients get antibiotics for an average of 7days. The prolonged course which is in practice increases the work load on the hospital staff which is already overwhelmed due to understaffing. It also increases costs to the patients, demands patient compliance and increases risks of antibiotics resistance. We did a study to see if the current practice can be justified. We compared current practice of prophylactic antibiotics to a proposed single dose regime of prophylactic antibiotics for women undergoing caesarean section. The current practice was standardized for the purpose of this study.
OBJECTIVES:
Main Objective
To compare the effectiveness of “single dose ceftriaxone and metronidazole” with the current practice of week-long course of prophylactic antibiotics for caesarean section.
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METHODOLOGY
A prospective Randomized Control Trial was done at Parirenyatwa and Harare hospitals from 2 February 2012 to 30 May 2012. Women undergoing caesarean sections were recruited following an inclusion and exclusion criteria. These were randomized into Arm 1 and Arm 2. Those in Arm 1 were given a single dose of Ceftriaxone and Metronidazole preoperatively and no more antibiotics postoperatively, except for treatment. Those in arm 2 were given a standardized week-long course of antibiotics representing the current practice. The patients were followed up for 6weeks.
The sample size of 260 patients was calculated, which meant 130 patients were needed for each arm. 280 patients were initially recruited but at the end, 232 were analysed after losing some patients during follow-up (see flow diagram).
RESULTS
Two hundred and thirty two patients were analyzed. 112 were in Arm 1 while 120 were in arm 2. These were compared for the incidence of hyperpyrexia, admission with puerperal sepsis, wound sepsis, prolonged hospital stay, laparotomy for pelvic abscess and mortality. Infective morbidity was defined by the presence of at least one of the above parameters. Infective morbidity occurred in 28 out of 232 (12%). 15 of these patients were in ARM 1 (Single dose group) while 13 were in ARM 2 (Week – long group). The difference was not statistically significant..
CONCLUSIONS
In this setting, the administration of single dose preoperative ceftriaxone 1g in combination with metronidazole 500mg, is clinically equivalent to the current practice of week-long course of antibiotics for the prevention of puerperal infections. We therefore recommend the single dose regimen due to lower costs and lesser burden to hospital staff who will administer reduced number of doses of antibiotic
Role of venture capital as a source of finance for Small and Medium Enterprises in Zimbabwe
No full textVenture capital is an important source of finance for small businesses although it is least understood. The VC financing market in Zimbabwe is inactive and mainly targets large companies instead of small to medium enterprises. The study sought to evaluate the role of venture capital as a source of finance for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in Zimbabwe. The objectives of the study were to review the types of venture capital financing in Zimbabwe, identify the factors that drive the venture capital financing and impact of venture capital on small business development. The study adopted a quantitative methodology in order to investigate the subject. Questionnaires were administered on respondents. The respondents were from the Zimbabwe Investment Authority, Ministry of Small to Medium Enterprises, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Small Enterprises Development Corporation and financial Institutions. An overall response rate of 89.66% was achieved. The study established that government was the main financier of venture capital financing in Zimbabwe. Further, stable economic environment, investor protection and corporate governance and well developed capital markets were found to be main determinants of venture capital financing. The study also established that the role of venture capital financing played an important role in the areas of employment creation, investment, export growth as well as innovation and creativity. Overall venture capital financing is an alternative financing option for SMEs. However, the development of venture capital market is being constrained by the economic environment, lack of a vibrant capital market, no regulatory framework regards corporate governance and investor protection. The study recommends that development of entrepreneurship by having an active venture capital market, stable macroeconomic environment and regulatory framework that protect investors
Assessment of the technological and innovation capabilities in the iron and steel sector in Zimbabwe: Imperatives towards developing an innovation driven beneficiation framework
No full textThis study assessed the current technological and innovation capabilities of the companies in the iron and steel sector in Zimbabwe. The study adopted a case study based qualitative survey to analyze the current technological and innovation capabilities, and the key technological and innovation trends and drivers within the iron and steel industry in Zimbabwe. In addition, the study also evaluated the critical success factors to the current technological and innovation management strategies, and the technological and innovation capabilities measurement metrics currently being adopted by the companies in the iron and steel sector. Finally, the study analyzed the technological and innovation gaps and proposed recommendations for integrating the sector into the broader beneficiation framework in Zimbabwe.
The study focused on the key companies in the iron and steel sector in Zimbabwe. Key informants and industry experts were selected from key policy making and regulatory authorities, academia, and other related support institutions. In addition, the performance of the local companies to regional counterparts was bench-marked based on the questionnaire that was distributed to technical professionals in the region.
A questionnaire soliciting for the general information and demographics, technological capabilities, innovation activities, innovation capabilities, technological and innovation capabilities measurement metrics, creativity and skills, and general questions on the level of value added processing of iron and steel products and raw materials was distributed to the respondents. Key informants interviews were applied to gather information policy making and regulatory authorities, academia, and other related support institutions.
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The study showed only a marginal number of that the companies in the iron and steel sector possessed the requisite technological and innovation capabilities necessary to drive competitiveness. In addition, the study revealed some value chain gaps within the iron and steel sector, and the constraints to the value chain utilization. The results also show that the companies were applying balanced measurement metrics, based on both financial and non-financial measurement metrics, to benchmark their technological and innovation capabilitie
Faculty Development Workshop Summary Notes 26-28 July 2011
No full textUniversity of Zimbabwe, College of Health Sciences under the NECTAR programme conducted a
three day Faculty Development training workshop. The workshop which was facilitated by Associate
Professor Eva Aagaard, Professor Nancy Madinger, and Dr. Jake Gray from the University of
Colorado Denver, USA recorded an average of 50 participants on a daily basis. The objective of the
workshop was to introduce and acquaint participants to basic knowledge on: Curriculum Development;
Team Based Learning; Bedside Clinical Teaching and Lecture methods. The workshop was officially
opened by Professor Midion Chidzonga, the current Dean of the College of Health Sciences. The
workshop was conducted in sessions with each of the 3 instructors facilitating specific sessions. This
report is a summary of how the workshop unfolded.
Workshop Objectives:
To introduce faculty to the theory and practice of:
• Curriculum Development
• Medical Education Pedagogies
• Student Assessment
Sessio
Non-attendance of treatment review visits among epileptic patients in Gokwe South district: Midlands province, Zimbabwe
No full textEpilepsy is the most common condition reported through the psychiatric returns surveillance system in Gokwe South District. The condition is controllable with antiepileptic medication. Review visits attendance is key to the successful control of seizures among epilepsy patients. A high proportion of scheduled review visits are missed every month. This study sought to establish the attendance pattern of epileptic patients, prevalence of non-attendance and the associated factors.
Methods: The study was an analytic cross-sectional study. One hundred and ten (110) respondents were selected randomly from the district’ epilepsy register. Interviewer-administered pretested questionnaires were used to collect data. Epi info version 3.5.1 was used to create frequencies and proportions were calculated as well as Odds ratios to determine associations. Logistic regression analysis was done to identify independent risk factors and to control for confounding variables.
Results: One hundred and ten (110) epileptic patients were included in the study. The epileptic patients missed treatment review visits ranging from 1 to 11 of the expected 12 review visits between June 2011 and June 2012. 70.9% missed at least 2 visits in a period of 12 months while 46.4%missed 2 or more consecutive visits. Knowledge of treatment duration [POR 0.24(95% CI 0.08-0.74)] and high risk perception [POR 0.14 (95% CI: 0.06-0.33) were associated with a lower likeliness of missing review visits. Barriers such as shortage of drugs [POR 7.09 (95% CI: 3.00-16.72)] and long distances to health facilities [POR 6.63(95% CI: 2.63-16.76)] were associated with high likeliness of missing two or more review visits consecutively. Shortage of drugs [AOR 6.7336 (95% CI: 1.8538, 24.4581)]and higher risk perception [AOR 0.1948(95% CI: 0.0625, 0.6071)] remained significant on logistic regression analysis.
Conclusion and Recommendations
A high number of epileptic patients miss their review visits mainly owing to shortage of drugs, having no village health workers to assist patients in treatment process. The District Health Executive must ensure constant supply of Antiepileptic drugs
Health related quality of life (HRQoL) of people living with HIV: A comparison with biomedical markers of HIV
No full textBackground: Health related quality of life (HRQoL) in HIV patients has become an important indicator of impact of disease and treatment outcomes. Linking CD4 count to HRQoL measures is necessary to determine if HRQoL can be predicted from CD4 count.
Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out at Chitungwiza Opportunistic Infections Clinic among HIV patients on ART. The HAT-QoL and EQ-5D-3L were used to measure HRQoL. Internal consistency of HAT-QoL and EQ-5D-3L was evaluated. Univariate and multivariable linear regression was used to identify predictors of HRQoL in HIV/AIDS patients.
Results: A total of 257 participants (mean age 39.7±8.9, 72% female) out of 351(73.4% response rate) consented to take part in the study. The overall mean HAT-QoL score was 69.3±16.9. The mean EQ-5D-3L index and VAS scores were 68.7± 29.4 and 73.3 ±18.9 respectively. The overall Cronbach‟s alpha for HAT-QoL and EQ-5D-3L was 0.76 (p<0.001) and 0.68 (p<0.001). The Cronbach‟s alpha between EQ-VAS and EQ-5D index was 0.68 (p=0.004). Income was a significant predictor of HRQoL scores [(HAT-QoL: β=0.37, p<.001), (EQ-5D index: β=0.18, p=0.05), (EQ-VAS :β=0.19, p=0.04)] . CD4 count was not correlated with HRQoL scores. Unadjusted coefficients and p-values were: (β=0.09, p=0.26), (β=0.05, p=0.59) and (β=0.16, p=0.06) for HAT-QoL, EQ-5D index and EQ-VAS respectively. Adjusted coefficients and p-values were (β=0.02, p=0.82),(β= 0.07, p=0.48) and (β=0.12, p=0.19) for HAT-QoL, EQ-5D index and EQ-VAS respectively.
Conclusion: There was no correlation between CD4 count and HRQoL scores. HAT-QoL and EQ-5D-3L have good psychometric properties and potential for use in clinical settings.
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Incorporation of HRQoL in the management of HIV/AIDS patients is essential to provide clinicians with accurate estimates of the quality of life patients