Dr. Mary Muchekeza is a public health physician serving as a Provincial Medical Director in Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care. She has experience across the public health sector, including epidemiology, infectious disease control, research, and health systems management.
Her work encompasses disease-specific program management as well as strategic advocacy for health among political and traditional leaders within their spheres of influence. She plays an active role in strengthening health systems and advancing public health priorities at both provincial and national levels.
She is a self-driven public health practitioner with substantial experience working with health workers, communities, and funding partners to improve health care delivery in the Ministry of Health in Zimbabwe. She has 17 years of experience in the field of public health practice, leading impactful health initiatives, including but not limited to free disease specific program management, advocacy for health among political and traditional leaders to be health ambassadors in their areas of influence. Additionally, her roles have included financial, administrative, and human resource management. She is an intentional leader, leading with purpose fostering leader agility and self-awareness. She has overcome several barriers, the imposter syndrome and self -doubt to achieve impactful leadership in her country.
As a Provincial Medical Director for one of the provinces in Zimbabwe, she has supported and participated in provision and coordination of health service delivery across various disease programmes. As a member of the Zimbabwe Public Health Physicians, she has and continues to contribute to write ups submitted to the Ministry of Health through working with communities to prevent and manage public health emergencies.
She has developed health managers through coaching and mentoring, improved service delivery in MNCH, TB, HIV, Quality improvement, malaria, disease outbreaks, and advocated for disability inclusion in all aspects of health. She has also contributed to various national health committees, technical working groups and attended international conferences that have influenced the shaping of health policies in Zimbabwe.
Dr Muchekeza is responsible for coordinating funding partners in her province helping in directing the implementation of health interventions where they are needed the most. She has supported her team set up strong Public Sector Supply Chain management technical working groups (PSM TWGs) and availability of medicines across all service delivery channels at provincial level. The PSM TWGs are currently being replicated in other provinces following lessons learnt in her province.
Being a member of the Health Financing Technical working group in the Ministry of Health, Zimbabwe, her role involves analysing gaps in health financing and coining recommendations to the Minister of Health. In this role she represented her country as a panelist in the SADC Health Financing Dialogue Conference held in December 2024 in Zimbabwe with the theme: More Health for the Money and More Money for Health.
As an appointed committee member to the National Steering Committee on Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) 2025- 2028, Dr Muchekeza contributes to the analyses of causes of deaths on mothers and newborn babies and make actionable recommendations to the Minister for reversing the negative tides on these deaths. This is a role which resonates very well with her passion for the health of girls, women, and children.
She is a fellow of the Kofi Annan Fellowship in Global Health Programme housed under Africa CDC as well as being an alumnus of The Greater Leaders Programme offered by The Fem League with support from the Global Financing Facility. It is from these two leadership programmes that she draws her strength, skills, and knowledge to lead and coordinate all health interventions in her province a home to almost 2 million people.
Being a dedicated professional, she has made contributions as a committee member in founding and supporting the development of the COPHP-ECSA to be launched in September 2025. It is from that background that she has been conferred on a fellow of the College of Public Health Physicians- ECSCA. She envisages that this prestigious membership will continue to enhance her lifetime professional growth and career progression and contribute to the advancement of public health medicine and public health towards sustainable population health and wellbeing for all in her country, our region, and globally.
Through her Leadership, all health managers in the province have noticeably transformed and aligned to represent their roles authentically to the people they save. Gravitas, communication, and appearance for the leaders has been critically taken seriously with Dr Muchekeza’s leading with recognizable leadership presence. The Provincial Health Team and District Health Executive members now have leadership presence as they deliver their work. In addition, the supportive environment she has created has enabled subordinates to improve and develop on themselves.
Dr Muchekeza has led a successful Family Planning program which has led to the increased Morden Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (MCPR) from 67% in 2019 to 72% in 2023 (ZDHS) and a reduced unmet need for Family Planning for all women from 11% to 9.6% a testament that a lot of work is being done in the province by the teams that she leads. Through her leadership and guidance, her province has successfully integrated Family Planning and HIV/AIDS services.
Disability inclusion is one of the things that Dr Muchekeza has always wanted to be a reality not just a mention for resource mobilization but a reality that will improve systems and she has spoken about in various forums where influential people would be in attendance for example during the Conference in Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda. In her country she gets invited to several conferences and events to speak and advocate for disability inclusion.
As a member of the advisory council of the Zimbabwe Disability Inclusive Arts and Culture Festival (ZIDIAC) since 2024, she is instrumental in advising the Council, advocating, planning, and implementing programs that accommodate persons living with disabilities effectively and all matters concerning disability.
