GOVERNMENT will decentralize the provision of open-heart surgeries in the country with the next facility targeted being Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo.
By Kuda Pembere
Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantine Chiwenga said this on the sidelines of a tour of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals which resumed the open-heart surgery procedures.
PGH is at the moment the only health facility in the country doing this procedure.
The first patient to have this procedure performed on is a 29-year-old Ms Blessing Bonda who was diagnosed as having rheumatic heart disease last year and also had a stroke in the same year. VP Chiwenga said as evidenced by the resumption of the open heart surgeries in the country, the Zimbabwean government was committed to improving the health delivery system in the country.
In this regard, more resources will be deployed to ensure the OHS program is decentralized starting with Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo to cater for the Southern Region of the country,” he said.
He said it was beneficial to Zimbabweans to have the Open Heart Surgeries being done in-country as the country now has the equipment and personnel to carry out the procedure.
“You may recall that the last open heart surgery was last performed in 2018. At the moment, a number of programs have been lined up to clear the backlog of patients with heart conditions in the country. “During the past five years, you might want to know that we have been sending patients to other countries with major vascular conditions.
“These countries included Italy, India, South Africa, and Sudan. Now we have a team of specialists, some ho were with us for quite some time, some who we sent out and have come back comprising of young men and women who are geared to resume procedures, locally.
“I have promised them we shall give them all the support they need because we also intend to have Zimbabwe as a medical tourism destination.
“And not keep on sending our people outside the country. I mentioned this some two years ago but it takes as you have seen the new equipment which is now there, ready for the open heart surgery. It takes time to bring in the equipment and resources to be put together.
“The fact that the OHS is being done by local medical practitioners is testimony to the call by the President of Zimbabwe that we are responsible for developing our country,” said VP Chiwenga.
VP Chiwenga encouraged those with heart diseases to get screened early.
“Furthermore the Ministry has established synergies with other countries such as Kenya, South Africa and Egypt to enrich our expertise in undertaking open heart surgery procedures. As the Minister of Health, I encourage everyone with a heart condition to come and get screened early so that they can be assisted,” he said.
He also noted that ambulances are arriving in the country by end of this month.
“Let me also take this opportunity to restate that the ministry is committed to improve the conditions of its health care staff to this end the ministry will be undertaking delivery of buses for health workers, ambulances and utility vehicles by end of this month,” VP Chiwenga said.
