By 
By Ross Moyo
NetOne is marking its 30th anniversary not with champagne, but with a major investment in community healthcare that will bring essential services closer to underserved Zimbabweans.
The state-owned mobile operator is funding the rollout of 100 Mobile Health Kiosks across Zimbabwe under its flagship OneHealth programme. His Excellency President Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa will officially launch the initiative on Saturday, October 17, at the 23rd ZANU PF Annual National People’s Conference in Chinhoyi.
The initiative is spearheaded by the ZANU PF Department of Health in partnership with NetOne and ZimSmart Villages. It demonstrates how corporate investment, digital technology and community mobilisation can be combined to address barriers to healthcare access, giving practical expression to the national principle of leaving no one and no place behind.
For NetOne, which has connected Zimbabwe since 1996 as the country’s first mobile operator, the investment gives its anniversary a purpose beyond commemorating three decades of telecommunications services. It directs resources towards a need shared by every household: access to healthcare.
The project also complements the healthcare vision championed by the First Lady, Dr Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa, who serves as the country’s Health Ambassador and has pioneered the OneHealth concept with NetOne since 2024.
10 Provinces, Then 100 Districts
NetOne is financing the initial deployment of 10 three-wheeler Mobile Health Kiosks, with one allocated to each of Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces. The first phase forms part of the planned national rollout of 100 kiosks extending to district level.
Each kiosk is a mobile clinic on wheels, equipped with digital-health tools, point-of-care diagnostic devices, secure video consultation and referral pathways.
Through its digital-health capabilities, ZimSmart Villages is driving the technical and operational model behind the kiosks, integrating telehealth, community health workers and referral pathways to connect underserved communities with healthcare professionals and established medical facilities.
Chief Medical Officer for ZimSmart Villages, Mr Admore Jokwiro, said the model is designed to create a connected pathway to care.
“Through ZimSmart Villages, we are bringing together digital-health solutions, community-based outreach and clinical support to create a connected pathway to care. The kiosks will help communities access initial screening and health information while enabling patients to connect with clinicians and receive appropriate referrals and follow-up. Our focus is to ensure that technology translates into practical healthcare solutions for people who have traditionally faced challenges accessing these services,” said Mr Jokwiro.
Jokwiro is internationally recognised, having won the 2025 Virtual Care Leadership Excellence Award from the MENA Telehealth Organisation in Riyadh for his work establishing telehealth kiosks in 17 post offices and a virtual hospital network that now covers more than 22 sites nationwide.
For rural families, where the doctor-to-patient ratio is as low as 1 per 5000 against Australia’s 17 per 5000, and where seeking medical attention can mean finding transport money and travelling long distances, bringing services closer to villages seeks to ease these burdens.
NetOne spokesperson Ernest Magadzire said the investment reflects the company’s broader responsibility.
“As NetOne celebrates 30 years of connecting Zimbabwe, we are investing in initiatives that improve people’s lives. Through OneHealth, we are demonstrating that our responsibility extends beyond providing telecommunications services to supporting solutions that address real community needs. By financing these mobile health kiosks, we are helping bring essential healthcare closer to underserved communities and contributing to a healthier, more inclusive Zimbabwe,” said Magadzire.
He added: “For 30 years, NetOne has connected Zimbabweans. As we celebrate this milestone, we want connectivity to mean more than communication. We want it to connect people to healthcare, information, opportunity and essential services.”
A Philosophy in Action
The programme brings together complementary strengths: NetOne’s financial investment, ZimSmart Villages’ digital-health expertise and the ZANU PF Department of Health’s leadership.
The project gives practical expression to the philosophy, “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” — a nation is built by its own people. It also supports Vision 2030 and National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) by advancing inclusive development and strengthening access to essential services.
It contributes directly to Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3 on Good Health and Well-being, SDG 10 on Reduced Inequalities and SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals.
While the Chinhoyi launch will mark an important milestone, the programme’s lasting significance will depend on effective implementation, accessible services, appropriate referrals and continuity of care.
As NetOne celebrates three decades, its investment in OneHealth represents an anniversary legacy rooted in service rather than spectacle.
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