Medics offer free surgery in Vic Falls
A TEAM of over 20 medical doctors, anaesthetists and theatre nurses are volunteering their services for free under a programme being implemented by the Government with help from partners.
Hundreds of healthcare seekers countrywide, particularly those with critical conditions in need of specialist services, have benefited under the programme this year.
The volunteers are in Victoria Falls for a week-long integrated surgical camp that started on Monday and ends today, targeting those with tonsillectomy, adult and paediatric hernia, lipomas and benign tumours.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care is leading the programme with technical support from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Celebration Health and financial support from Japan.
The outreach is being held under the theme: “Accelerating access to quality surgical services in Zimbabwe.”
This is in line with the national agenda of universal access to primary health care.
Similar camps were conducted at Victoria Chitepo Central Hospital in Manicaland where 101 children hernia operations were done and at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare where 140 tonsillectomy operations were conducted with a mop up exercise underway.
Yesterday, 65 patients had been operated on at Victoria Falls Hospital with the target to reach 150 by today.
Team leader, WHO Technical Officer responsible for SDG3 Government Action Plan Dr Thenjiwe Sisimayi, said the programme targets not only give access to patients, but to also build capacity among practitioners and health centres as the team leaves behind all equipment they are using to make sure that secondary level health centres can attend to minor surgeries and decongest central hospitals.
“This is a national programme led by the Ministry of Health with technical assistance from WHO and funded by the Government of Japan. It is a pioneer initiative that has never been done here in Zimbabwe and follows the launch of the national surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia strategy by Vice President Dr Costantino Chiwenga last year in September 2022 as a response to the dire need for surgical interventions.
“The programme started in January this year and ends at the end of the this month focusing on addressing four pillars of the health system. We are targeting children and adults who are receiving free surgical care with support from local health practitioners and hospitals. This is the third camp and patients are also getting post-operative medicines also provided for free,” said Dr Sisimayi.
She said surgery was a key component of universal health coverage and WHO was excited to see the Government of Zimbabwe is taking the initiative to accelerate access to surgery and obstetrics to needy patients.
She reiterated WHO’s commitment to continue assisting Zimbabwe in ensuring that universal access to health is attained and Vision 2030 is realised.
Hospitals were also being capacitated with minor equipment to improve service delivery.
The programme dovetails with Government vision of promoting health tourism and promoting reverse migration so that citizens do not cross the border to seek services in other countries as has been the case especially at border towns.
Hwange district medical officer Dr Fungayi Musinami said the programme was very important and helpful to communities who were getting free health service closer to where they are.
“These services are usually found at central hospitals and sometimes people go outside borders to seek special healthcare, but now they are receiving it free of charge. We are hoping that going forward we will be able to schedule regular camps like this so people get lifesaving medical attention in line with our national strategy to decentralise services,” she said.
It was a hive of activity at the hospital as there were long queues with parents bringing their children for surgery.
Ms Mdumiseni Ndlovu said she leant recently that her six year old daughter Khanyiswa Sibanda had tonsillitis.
“We didn’t know she had a problem of tonsils. She used to have fever and struggled to eat as she was always without appetite while her temperature would suddenly rise. We went to a doctor who said her adenoids and tonsils were swollen. Luckily it coincided with this programme and we came and they quickly assisted us. We are grateful for that and we hope she will recover quickly,” she said.
Ms Deliwe Ncube from Cross Dete said her son Bwani Mugande had tonsillitis for two years and would be bedridden and miss school eight times in a year. She thanked Government for the free health service.
Mrs Masela Sibanda from Victoria Falls said her whole family had a hereditary history of tonsillitis which she believes they inherited from her.
She took her five grandchildren Lincon Chinembiri (14), Tanaka Shoshore (14), Rosina Alubi (10), Tinotenda Shoshore (9) and Rodrick Alubi also aged 9 who all were operated on yesterday.
“They all started the problem of tonsils at early stage and they would be given injections. They inherited this from me because I used to have this problem and would regularly seek medical attention.
“My first born child, who is the mother of some of these kids also had the same problem and was operated on at Mater Dei Hospital, but now we can’t afford to pay and that’s why we came here because it is for free. We are grateful to Government for bringing this programme for us the poor,” she said.