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Michelle Musandinyoze, [email protected]
BULAWAYO-based organisation Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe, which advocates for improved cardiovascular and non-communicable disease care, will in February next year participate at the inaugural patient-led African Childhood Heart Disease Summit.
The virtual summit seeks to address the persistent under-representation and underfunding of patient-led organisations within Africa’s paediatric healthcare ecosystem, particularly in the area of childhood heart disease.
Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe will represent the country under the Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Heart Disease (ARCH), a global non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by congenital, rheumatic and other childhood-onset heart diseases. Through this platform, the organisation will also mobilise stakeholders from South Africa, Kenya and Namibia.
Speaking ahead of the summit, Brave Little Hearts director Ms Tendai Moyo said the gathering aims to bridge the gap between clinical care and patient experiences, transforming the concept of collaborative, patient-centred heart care into a practical reality.
“The summit is about connecting clinical expertise with the lived experiences of patients and families. It is about ensuring that those directly affected by childhood heart disease have a meaningful voice in shaping solutions,” she said.
Ms Moyo noted that in many African countries, access to paediatric cardiac care still largely depends on visiting medical missions.
“While these missions save lives, they often operate without structured mechanisms for community feedback or patient involvement beyond clinical treatment,” she said.
“We believe sustainable and inclusive care must go beyond surgical interventions.
“Patient-led organisations, often formed by families directly impacted, have the trust, local knowledge and ability to identify system gaps, yet we are frequently excluded from decision-making spaces, capacity building and even basic funding.”
She highlighted that Zimbabwe faces a shortage of specialised paediatric heart centres and specialists, forcing many families to seek treatment outside the country at great financial cost.
“This reality underscores the need for local, long-term solutions that go beyond mission-based care,” she said.
Ms Moyo also stressed the importance of stronger collaboration with hospitals on patient tracking and outcome reporting to improve service delivery and inform policy.
Earlier this year, Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe, in partnership with Mpilo Central Hospital, the Iraqi Lipid Clinics Network (ILCN) and the International Atherosclerosis Society (IAS), launched a lipid clinic aimed at improving the diagnosis and management of lipid disorders in children.
To bring the spirit of global congresses closer to home, Ms Moyo said ARCH, spearheaded by patient groups from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Kenya, resolved to convene the first African Childhood Heart Disease Summit during Childhood Heart Disease Awareness Month in February.
Recently, Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe also attended the 9th World Congress of Paediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery held in Hong Kong, where the organisation represented Zimbabwe as a nominee, amplifying the voices of children living with heart diseases and their families on a global stage.
Ms Moyo said the shift towards human-centred care is critical for Zimbabwe and other low-resource settings across Africa.
“In these contexts, patients should not be viewed merely as beneficiaries, but as essential partners in designing, delivering and sustaining healthcare services,” she said.
Online Reporter