ZIMBABWE’s first specialist hospital currently under development in Mazowe will open its doors to patients in August as the Government moves to modernise the health sector and ensure world-class services are provided locally.
It is understood that Zimbabweans spend up to US$400
million annually seeking treatment and other health services abroad, and the
Quinary hospital will significantly reduce such expenses.
Upon completion, the hospital is expected to be one of the
best specialist health centres in Africa.
Spearheaded by the University of Zimbabwe and funded by
Government, the facility will start operating its Oral Health Unit, Eye Centre,
Invitro Fertilisation Unit (IVF) Unit and Diagnostic Laboratory ahead of
unveiling of the main site early next year.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, UZ Vice Chancellor
Professor Paul Mapfumo said: “We have been putting mechanisms in place to
accelerate construction works. We are building capacity to do the construction
through our newly established Department of Engineering, Infrastructure and
Estate,” he said.
Prof Mapfumo said the site is currently being equipped.
“The groundbreaking of the main site was done by the
President but we do have the Oral Health Unit, Eye Centre, IVF Unit and the
Diagnostic Laboratory, which are now at equipmentation phase.
“So, we are hoping that those units should be functioning
before August this year if we get a good lead of time of part of the critical
equipment. We were importing some of the equipment but now, we are trying to look
at what we can source in the country and that’s the phase we are in now,” he
said.
He said the administration building has now taken shape
after a lot of underground construction.
“The second module is the pharmacy building, the third
module is the oncology and the fourth is cardiology. We also have the outer
site where we are doing the public and environmental health building,” he said.
A Quinary hospital offers the highest specialised
healthcare.
The UZ facility is also expected to train specialists and
health personnel.
“Our medical school is increasingly becoming very visible
and on demand from other institutions in the region. This means we are already
on the path to have a flagship for the university and the country in terms of
medical training.
“There will be a reduction of the estimated US$400 million
that people spend on importing medical services. But we think that the
substitution for the Quinary hospital is to stop people from going outside to
search for medical assistance,” he said.
The hospital, Prof Mapfumo said, is responding to the call
for industrialisation of medical training under Education 5.0.
Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli
Ncube recently said it was imperative for the country to enhance medical tourism
and cut the costly medical bill.
“We were losing US$400 million a year through these
referrals. So, the sector sends a patient for treatment to India on referral
but that doctor in India, if he were to come to Zimbabwe wanting to treat a
patient here, he is not allowed by the same medical council,” said the
Minister.
By setting up the Quinary hospital, Zimbabwe will be able
to launch its own medical tourism and attract local specialist doctors who are
based abroad.
These foreign-based Zimbabwean doctors have been acting as
agents who refer patients from their home country to foreign health centres.
Sunday Mail
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