Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka [email protected]
CIMAS Health Group will today honour one of Zimbabwe’s pioneering black medical practitioners when it hosts a renaming ceremony for its Bulawayo Medical Centre in recognition of the late Dr Sipho Leonard Vivian Zwana.
The ceremony, held under the theme “A Legacy of Healthcare Excellence that Inspires Generations,” will be graced by Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Judith Ncube, who is the guest of honour.
Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Councillor Edwin Ndlovu is also in attendance attend, alongside other distinguished guests.
According to the organisers, the renaming is a tribute to Dr Zwana’s contribution to the development of healthcare in Zimbabwe and his enduring legacy as a medical pioneer.
Dr Zwana was the first black doctor to work at Mpilo Central Hospital and went on to become Zimbabwe’s first black anaesthetist. He dedicated 52 years to the medical profession, serving in Zimbabwe and abroad.
His career included leadership roles at some of the country’s major health institutions, with his contribution extending beyond clinical practice to the development and advancement of healthcare services.
Dr Zwana was among the first black medical practitioners to break racial barriers in the country’s health sector at a time when access to professional medical careers was heavily restricted by the colonial system.
He was also recognised as Zimbabwe’s first black anaesthetist after obtaining a fellowship in anaesthetics from the Royal College of Surgeons.
Cimas’ decision to attach his name to the Bulawayo facility places his contribution at the centre of the institution’s identity while seeking to inspire future generations of healthcare professionals.
The honour comes several years after Dr Zwana’s contribution to Mpilo Central Hospital and Zimbabwe’s medical profession was publicly recognised during the hospital’s 60th anniversary celebrations in 2018, when he was hailed as the first black doctor to work at the institution.
The renaming of the Cimas facility is expected to serve as a lasting reminder of a career that spanned more than five decades and helped shape Zimbabwe’s medical landscape.
By naming the facility after Dr Zwana, Cimas is also linking its present-day healthcare services to a history of professional excellence, pioneering service and barrier-breaking achievements in the medical profession.
