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Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital has opened a centre for diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases, becoming the only functional public health cardiovascular centre in the country.With assistance from Italian humanitarian organisation Lifeline Dolomites, the hospital will now be able to diagnose and treat heart problems using the latest method, the non-evasive technique.
At the official opening of the cardiovascular unit last week, Mashonaland West provincial medical director Dr Wenceslaus Nyamayaro said the equipment would go a long way in alleviating challenges of access to treatment facing heart patients.
“The burden of heart problems continues to increase mostly because of the lifestyles that we are living in now, but very few patients were being assisted owing to lack of equipment,” he said. “This equipment will assist us diagnose early heart problems and in some instances treat the condition.”
Dr Nyamayaro said the equipment was only available in private sector, where costs were prohibitory for the majority of Zimbabweans.
“We hope that with this equipment we would be able to diagonise the problems early and prevent further damage,” he said.
The equipment is worth about 150 000 euros.
A director at the cardiology department of Santa Chiara Hospital in Italy, Dr Roberto Bonmassari, said the equipment was quite precise in detecting heart problems.
“This country and this hospital have a great potential to provide better services, especially in the area of cardiovascular diseases,” he said. “We hope to continue working with this hospital and the people of Zimbabwe.”
In a speech read on his behalf by Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Febber Chidarikire, Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa applauded the support from the Italian community.
“The success in the struggle against cardiovascular diseases hinges a lot on public-private partnership supported by dedicated physicians and fully trained nurses with technical back up,” he said.
Online Reporter