Online Reporter
Walter Nyamukondiwa
Mashonaland West Bureau Chief
With a two-hour window at uninterrupted speed, which is highly unlikely in a heavily congested highway, the chances of survival for a critical patient severely diminish as the minutes tick away.
A critical patient from Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital (CPH) needs about two hours to get to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare by road for specialised care.
There are so many variables along the Chirundu-Harare Highway that influence how fast someone can get the next level of medical care.
It is not surprising to find trucks tailing each other for kilometres on end, eating into the already shrunken golden hour.
Until recently, taking the risk of ferrying a patient by road has always been the available option.
Enter the flight of angels! It takes about 30 minutes for a patient to be airlifted to Harare’s Sally Mugabe Central Hospital from Chinhoyi Hospital.
The Heli-Drive Public Ambulance Services, which started in August 2024, has become a lifeline for those needing urgent referral to the next best medical centre.
It started offering services in Mashonaland West Province in September of the same year.
To date, 126 patients have been airlifted from various districts of Mashonaland West Province to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital and further referrals to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital.
In 2024, 36 critical patients were airlifted, with 13 of them coming in as referrals to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital, while the remainder were referred to central hospitals in Harare.
At least 90 patients have been transferred by air so far, with 83 patients being taken to either Sally Mugabe Hospital or Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
Scepticism got the better of some who doubted the existence of such a service in a country like Zimbabwe.
It was dismissed as a political gimmick, with some professing never seeing the helicopters in our skies.
For Mrs Rudo Muchachaire, who was involved in a road accident in Karoi while travelling from Zambia, the Heli-Drive service was a timely intervention by the Government.
She was among the first people to get assistance in the province.
“I don’t need to be told how important the helicopter service is because I was airlifted from Karoi to Chinhoyi after being involved in an accident involving a Bolt Cutter bus,” narrated Ms Muchachaire.
“Plaudits to President Mnangagwa’s leadership for bringing the Heli-Drive service. I call it Famba Zion because it is fast when one is in an emergency and helps save lives. Within minutes, my condition was under control.”
She suffered a broken leg and an internal fixation of a metal plate procedure was undertaken.
Mrs Muchachaire hailed the Government and its partners for providing the free service.
“To tell you the truth, I was never asked to pay anything for being airlifted from Karoi in a helicopter. It has been over a year and no one has claimed anything from me,” she said.
Mrs Muchaneta Sakala from Raffingora said the helicopter ferrying her friend arrived while she was already waiting at the hospital.
“We would like to thank President Mnangagwa and his Government because we are seeing first-hand the improvement of health services through the helicopter, which has significantly reduced the number of deaths in transit by road,” she said.
Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital medical superintendent Dr Collett Mawire said the hospital is in constant touch with the Heli-Drive centre whenever an emergency occurrs.
“We are receiving and referring patients with critical conditions through the Heli-Drive service almost daily,” said Dr Mawire.
“We thank the leadership of the country for helping in the case management of patients through the air ambulance services. It is helping to save lives and ensure people get quality care at no cost.”
Conditions range from injuries from road and mine accidents, falls, assaults, obstetric and gynaecological complications, neonatal and medical conditions such as renal impairment and malaria, among others.
Nearly 1 000 patients countrywide have been airlifted to the next referral centre.
The Heli-Drive service has increased the chance of people with critical conditions getting medical care in the golden hour, the critical period where specialised care is the difference between life, a worsening condition or death.
When Zimpapers Online visited the hospital, the helicopter had just arrived to airlift a newborn baby that needed specialised care at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare.
The crew includes a doctor, nurse and two pilots and the helicopter is equipped with Intensive Care Unit (ICU) equipment.
The distant roar of the rotor blades is enough to attract bemused and adoring crowds.
People take pictures of the helicopter and selfies with the chopper in the background.
After several minutes, the relative quiet was disturbed as the red light went on and the rotors slowly started turning before reaching dizzying rotation and a smooth take-off.
For most patients across the country, the golden hour is essentially beyond reach by road when geographical factors are considered.
However, data has shown that most of the incoming referrals in Mashonaland West Province we coming from St Michaels in Mhondoro, Chegutu and Kadoma.
Other districts such as Kariba, Hurungwe and Zvimba were hardly calling for the service amid indications that they do not realise that the service is free.
Mrs Esther Masize, who was visiting her sister admitted at the hospital from Sanyati, hailed the Government for the service saying it was helping to save lives.
