Online Reporter
Kudakwashe Mugari
Deputy National Editor
TWO years ago, the sound of a helicopter in rural Zimbabwe was rare.
Today, it is the sound of a second chance at life.
On Monday, HeliDrive Zimbabwe celebrates two years of operations in the country, having airlifted more than 2 000 patients from every corner of the nation and fundamentally changing how emergency medical care is delivered.
From snakebite victims in Binga to mothers with pregnancy complications in Chiredzi, and road accident casualties on the Bulawayo-Harare highway, HeliDrive has become the bridge between remote communities and specialist hospitals.
In rural Gokwe, Village Head Clever Dube recalls the night his 7-year-old grandson was bitten by a puff adder.
“We thought we had lost him. The clinic was 80km away, and there was no fuel for an ambulance. Then we called HeliDrive. In less than an hour they were in our field. They saved his life,” he said.
The story is the same in Hurungwe, Mutoko, and Tsholotsho. For many, Helidrive has cut emergency response times from hours to minutes. Mrs Rudo Chikomo of Chivi District said the service had restored dignity to rural health.
“Before, to get to Harare for specialist care, you would travel for two days. Now the helicopter comes to us. Our people are no longer dying on the road,” she said.
“They reached us when no one else could.”
In Tsholotsho, Mrs Nomathemba Ncube credits air services for saving her husband after a farming accident.
“The clinic said we needed a neurosurgeon in Harare. We had no transport. HeliDrive landed in our yard within 45 minutes. Today my husband is alive because of them,” she said.
Village heads in Mashonaland West and Manicaland say the service has restored hope in areas where ambulances would take half a day to arrive.
“HeliDrive has made distance irrelevant. Whether you are in Victoria Falls or Mudzi, help can reach you,” said Chief Mangwende of Murehwa.
What started as operations confined to Harare has now grown into a national network. HeliDrive has opened full branches in Harare, Bulawayo, and most recently Victoria Falls, with plans to establish a base in Mutare to cover the eastern region.
For residents of Victoria Falls, Hwange, Binga and border communities, the new base means emergency medical help is now just minutes away.
“We have waited for this for a long time. Before, if there was an accident on the Kazungula Road or someone had a heart attack here, we would lose them waiting for an ambulance from Bulawayo. Now help can come from the sky,” said Mrs Lindiwe Ncube, a trader at Chinotimba market.
Tourism operators also welcomed the move, saying it boosts safety for the more than 1 million tourists who visit the Falls annually.
“This gives our guests peace of mind. Whether it’s a rafting accident, a wildlife incident, or a medical emergency, we now know there is a helicopter that can respond immediately,” said Mr Simba Moyo, a tour operator.
Traditional leaders from Matabeleland North said the base would also serve rural clinics that previously had no referral transport.
Chief Mvuthu of Hwange said: “Our people in the villages will no longer die on the way to hospital. This helicopter is a blessing for us.”
HeliDrive Zimbabwe chief medical director, Dr Freddy Mhondiwa, said the expansion was driven by demand.
“In two years we have responded to over 2 000 emergencies. We have landed in 50+ districts. Opening Vic Falls was critical for tourism and border accidents, and Mutare will help us cover the highlands and Mozambique border areas,” he said.
The Government has hailed HeliDrive as a key partner in delivering healthcare to the last mile.
The Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, said: “HeliDrive has decongested our referral system and saved countless lives. They are doing what we have always wanted — taking the hospital to the people.”
President Mnangagwa is on record commending the company, describing Helidrive as a model of innovation in public-private partnerships for health.
“HeliDrive Zimbabwe is showing what is possible when we embrace technology and innovation to serve our people. They are taking medical services to our communities, including the most remote areas. This is the kind of investment that leaves no one behind in line with Vision 2030” President Mnangagwa said.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Deputy Minister Joshua Sacco, said the service was also decongesting referral hospitals.
“By airlifting patients directly to specialist centres, we are saving time, saving fuel, and most importantly, saving lives. Government fully supports this model,” he said.
The Civil Protection Unit has also worked with Helidrive during floods in Manicaland and Cyclone-related evacuations, calling the partnership “critical to disaster response.”
The Civil Protection Unit has also deployed HeliDrive helicopters during floods in Manicaland and road traffic accidents, calling the air ambulance service “critical national infrastructure.”
As it marks two years, HeliDrive says its goal is to make air ambulance services as accessible as dialling for an ambulance.
“Our vision is that no Zimbabwean should die because they are too far from a hospital. With Harare, Bulawayo, and Victoria Falls operational and Mutare coming, we are building a true national air ambulance network,” said Dr Mhondiwa.
Beyond emergencies, HeliDrive has also supported medical outreach programmes, flying doctors and specialists to conduct cataract surgeries and mobile clinics in Matabeleland South and Mashonaland Central.
For thousands of families across Zimbabwe, that vision has become reality.
As HeliDrive Zimbabwe celebrates its second anniversary, the message from the ground is clear.
From the mountains of Nyanga to the Zambezi Valley, the helicopter in the sky is no longer a luxury. For many Zimbabweans, it is survival.
