By 
Cimas Health Group has outlined the eligibility and participation requirements for its Healthathon 3.0 innovation challenge, calling on Zimbabwean innovators to develop practical technology driven solutions for the country’s healthcare sector.
Speaking at the launch of the competition in Harare, Cimas Health Group Chief Information Officer Foster Akaketwa said the challenge is designed to create a credible platform for innovators to contribute to healthcare transformation through technology.
Akaketwa said participation is open to Zimbabwean innovation hubs, startups, university technology teams and independent product teams with a passion for improving healthcare delivery.
He said participating teams should consist of between three and five members and are encouraged to bring together individuals with diverse skills and expertise to foster multidisciplinary collaboration.
“Participation in the Cimas Healthathon 3.0 is open to Zimbabwean innovative and solution driven hubs, startups, university technology teams as well as independent product teams committed to transforming healthcare delivery in the country through technology and innovation,” he said.
Applications will be submitted through an online platform, after which the top 20 teams will be shortlisted based on a set of screening and evaluation criteria.
The selected teams will then undergo a further assessment process that will narrow the field to six finalists who will compete for the top three prizes at the grand finale.
Akaketwa said participants would have the freedom to identify and address any healthcare challenge they consider significant, provided they can demonstrate the problem’s impact and the viability of their proposed solution.
“Teams are allowed to choose their own problem area, but must show why the problem is material, who it affects and why their solution is viable,” he said.
The shortlisted teams will attend an orientation and briefing session covering competition rules, judging criteria, prototype development requirements, intellectual property considerations, data protection obligations and presentation guidelines for the final Demo Day.
To qualify, participants must propose solutions that directly address challenges within Zimbabwe’s healthcare ecosystem and demonstrate relevance to local healthcare needs.
Akaketwa said teams would also be required to show strong technical capability and the ability to develop a functional prototype within the competition timeline.
He stressed that originality would be a key consideration in the judging process.
“Submitted solutions must be unique and should not merely replicate existing platforms without significant adaptation, improvement or contextual innovation,” he said.
The Healthathon 3.0 challenge forms part of Cimas Health Group’s broader efforts to harness technology and innovation to improve healthcare access, efficiency and outcomes.
Akaketwa said the initiative seeks to nurture practical solutions capable of improving lives while strengthening Zimbabwe’s healthcare system.
The competition is expected to attract some of the country’s brightest innovators as the healthcare sector increasingly looks to technology to address long standing service delivery challenges.
Comments