Dr Vivek Solanki, with over 37 years of service in the health sector, was recently honored as the 2023 Zimbabwe Trailblazers Community Distinguished Medical Champion.
Dr Solanki in return, honored Dr Johannes Marisa as a game-changer in the medical field.
Special mention went to his wife Ana, without whom he would not have been able to build all these hospitals and clinics.
His message was centered on private sector partnership with the government. He noted that the government is doing its part, and the private sector needs to step up and participate in the development of the local health sector.
Medical tourism can attract patients outside Zimbabwean borders. It too can keep locals within to seek treatment at home.
The country can save the much-needed foreign currency. It can also generate foreign currency from patients coming from abroad. Dr Solanki’s focus is treating patients, with his wife, Ana in charge of the administration.
Dr Solanki plans and builds facilities, leaving the daily running of the centers to Ana.
Speaking at the awards night, the unassuming Dr said being a medical doctor was a calling.
“Being a doctor is a calling. It is not an easy job. One is called all the time. I’m in a strange business: I can’t pray to God for more patients. How can I ask for sickness to be prevalent? I can only ask for correct diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr Solanki.
As a clinician he gives appropriate and correct treatment to his patients. With hyperinflation, the local health sector gets hammered drastically daily.
Many doctors and nurses could not weather the hardships. They left for greener pastures. It was a difficult choice. They had to look after their loved ones.
Covid-19 came along and it turned everything around. Dr Solanki said Zimbabwe shocked the world.
“Where the world expected Africa and Zimbabwe to fall, to have millions of deaths, the health sector turned it around.
“We trained over 3 000 health care workers for free during the Covid-19 era,” said Dr Solanki.
Such dedication must be applauded. Local doctors and nurses could do what the first world could do. It was a turning point for Zimbabwe.
With 24,000 healthcare workers having left the country, a nursing and a paramedic training school was needed like yesterday. It was opened by Dr Solanki using his resources.
The government could not do this alone. The private sector had to step up.
“We have helped the government in many sectors, the government helped me first, they gave me Special Economic Zone status when I was building my hospital and that has helped us to expand the hospital and provide almost all facilities that are available in the Western world; in Harare Zimbabwe.
“Today, Zimbabwe can do complicated procedures that once saw patients going abroad.
“Today, we take care of complicated maternity cases, keyhole surgery, complicated neurosurgical cases, orthopaedic cases and various complicated medical conditions.
“With the latest of course, we put in the Cath Lab, in case of a heart attack, one no longer needs to fly to South Africa to be treated. It is all available in Zimbabwe at the Trauma Centre,” he said.
Dr Solanki encourages young specialists, to keep learning.
Dr Solanki said that not everybody can build hospitals and clinics, but those able to, have a duty in developing the health sector.
“We need each other, we have each other, and those of us who have the ability have to step up and move on. And the younger generation of specialists and doctors who are in Zimbabwe can see and lead from our examples. They know that it can be done,” he added.
Dr Solanki told specialists that the future was in Zimbabwe.
“Only Zimbabweans can make a difference, not foreigners, not foreign investment. Only Zimbabweans because we have a vested interest in our home, so we want to improve our homes. We have to step up and we have to provide services,” he added.
There can never be enough hospitals and clinics. The President has talked about medical tourism. With his facility catering for many foreign patients, the medical council prohibits local doctors to advertise. It states that a website is enough advertising.
Some local patients, after successful procedures then say they never knew of the Trauma Centre.
“I’ve been in the medical field for 37 years and a decade at Borrowdale Trauma. There still are people who don’t know about these facilities. They still go abroad for the same services.
“That is purely because of limitations in information dissemination,” he concluded.
We have the expertise, we have the infrastructure, we have working systems in place; we just need the push and resources to bring the health sector to world-class standards. The private sector can bridge the gap as partners in comprehensive health delivery services.
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