Better access to antiretrovirals has seen Zimbabwe’s life expectancy rise to 52 years. This is a huge increase from 2006 when it was hardest hit by the AIDS pandemic and stood at 37.
Presenting a paper on mental health in Zimbabwe at the Zimbabwe Medical Association annual congress, Swaziland psychiatrist Dr Walter Mangezi said the advent of antiretrovirals (ARVs) has considerably improved the life expectancy of people living with HIV in Zimbabwe.
“Zimbabwe has been through socio-economic problem in the last few years. However, life expectancy rate in the country has managed to go back the way it was in the 1980s when it was 59.2 years. Globally, the life expectancy rate is at 69.2 years,” Mangezi said.
“Zimbabwe has had its life expectancy reduced in recent times by the AIDS pandemic. People were at risk of contracting HIV. The challenges have been the co-morbid mental illness which, when not appropriately managed, will result in poor adherence of ARVs,” said Mangezi.
Life expectancy in Zimbabwe: a holistic approach is needed
Mangezi added that longevity and a good quality of life depend on the holistic approach to care because mental and physical health is intertwined. In Zimbabwe we should move towards a more integrated approach in the provision of health services to ensure longevity in our population he said.
“Hypertension and diabetes in the elderly are major causes of mortality in people of Zimbabwe. The control of these two conditions is made more difficult by poor adherence to medication due to the presence of depression and other mental [health issues],” said the psychiatrist.
Mangezi added that he believes “the culture of reading is the key to life longevity and mental health.”
The World Health Organisation defines good health as ‘physical, emotional, social, spiritual and mental well-being.’
In 2006, female life expectancy in Zimbabwe was at 34 years, which at the time was the lowest in the world, while for males it was at 37 years, according to a report issued at the time by the United Nations. The report ranked Zimbabwe as a country with one of the lowest life expectancies in the world as it ranked fifty-second out of 139 countries. Experts believed this was due to two main factors: the country’s economy had been deteriorating without any sign of improvement and HIV.
