This year’s edition of the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA) congress commenced with a symposium discussing HIV and AIDS issues.
By Kudakwashe Pembere
Themed Resistance Made Easy, the symposium tackled issues to do with new ARV drugs, viral resistance, and changing antiretroviral treatment for virological treatment failure, pediatric and adolescent issues.
Running alongside the symposium was an expo where pharmaceutical companies, ambulances, medical aid societies, and non-governmental organisations focusing on AIDS issues were exhibiting.
Local and international medical practitioners brought under one roof discuss trending global health issues.
Speaking on the sidelines of the symposium, Zima Secretary General Dr Shingi Bopoto noted that the three day event looked into professionalism and training in medicine.
“As the Zimbabwe medical Association, we are a representative body of all medical professionals that are registered or registable to practice medicine in Zimbabwe.
“Every year in August we host a conference where we bring in the best minds in medicine, locally and internationally to come and give us latest information on various issues that are topical. We felt that this year it’s the global trend of topical issues such as professionalism and training in medicine. So we will be focusing on professionalism and training of medicine,” he said.
Dr Bopoto said they will also hinge on cutting edge topical health issues.
“Having said that it’s not that our congress is limited to that only, there are other breakthrough scientific programs or break through scientific papers that are coming. One of the highlights is robotic prostatectomy where effectively you are using robots to do some types of operations,” he added.
He also said that Health and Childcare Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa will officiate the congress.
“It’s become tradition that the sitting minister of health officially opens the congress and we are privileged and honoured again this year that our current minister of health dr Parirenyatwa will officially open the congress tomorrow,” said Dr Bopoto.
Another traditional feature of the congress is that of the annual general meeting where elections to replace the presidium are held on the last day.
