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Tendai Rupapa in ENGLAND
ZIMBABWE’S Health and Child Care ambassador Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa was invited to tour the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge where she visited its neonatal and other units to have an appreciation of their operations and assess areas of possible partnership with Zimbabwe.
Amai Mnangagwa was roundly praised by officials at the hospital for her tireless efforts in easing the health burden on women and children through her Angel of Hope Foundation’s medial outreach programmes.
The Rosie Hospital, named after the mother of the philanthropist who built it, is part of Cambridge University Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust.
It provides maternity and neonatal services to the local population.
The hospital also offers specialist services in high risk obstetrics, foetal and maternal medicine and neonatal intensive care.
Dr Mike More, the chairman of Cambridge University Hospital said the hospital has a partnership with the University of Zimbabwe and with the First Lady’s visit, they were going to explore more partnership opportunities. He described Dr Mnangagwa as hardworking.
“We had an interesting and good conversation with the First Lady who has a passion for the welfare of women and children.
“First of all, we do provide and engage in partnerships with the University of Zimbabwe and other places so we are very keen and happy to explore all possibilities there are to build on the relationships we already have.
“As a hospital based on one of the biggest medical campuses in Europe, we have a responsibility to work with developing countries in terms of healthcare and healthcare provision. We have been looking at the support of neonatal babies and the First Lady showed deep interest in that area and so we will have further discussions on what we might build on,” he said.
This dovetails with the views of Ms Evelyn Brealey, the director for Cambridge’s global health partnerships.
“We are a task group programme that works alongside Cambridge University Hospitals to create partnerships between hospitals in the UK
and healthcare institutions in countries like Zimbabwe.
“In fact, we have a partnership already with the University of Zimbabwe and with the infectious diseases unit and I think we now have a big opportunity to now build on that partnership in the interests of the First Lady.
“She has been here and we will have a discussion on what we can contribute from the Cambridge side and what the Cambridge side can learn from Zimbabwe,” she said
She added; “In our further discussions,
we will hear what the priorities for Zimbabwe are, the national plans. It is about Zimbabwe saying this is what we need. We will then look at how we can work in this partnership together in order to develop and deliver some of those services.
“There is need to deliver services to remote and rural areas so how can we do that together?,” she said emphatically.
Mrs Brealy described Dr Mnangagwa’s work and interventions in the health sector as fantastic.
“I think its fantastic and it is important that somebody in her role and in her office is taking notice of these issues from grassroots level,” she said.
Earlier, Dr Mnangagwa passed through the Cambridge Press and Assessment at the invitation of director of operations at the institution Mrs Karen Kester who gave an overview of the centre and how they operate when dealing with the underpriviledged.
“Recently we got a new colleague in our team who is based in kenya and will be covering Zimbabwe. He is very new in post and that’s going to make a significant difference to our ability to understand what is happening in different countries in the region and we also then respond. Previously we have been trying to manage some of these interactions from Cambridge and we recognize that we needed somebody in the region and that’s the step we have taken and he will get in touch with your office then we progress further,” she said.
Online Reporter