Chronicle Editor
Tanyaradzwa Rusike recently in New Delhi
PLAYERS in India’s health sector are eager to share their knowledge and expertise in areas such as specialist treatment, disease prevention and affordable healthcare solutions with Zimbabwe.
This was said by Apollo Hospitals’ senior vice-president Dr Harinder Singh Sidhu during a recent 10-day familiarisation visit to India by African journalists.
Apollo Hospitals is an international health centre with 52 specialists under one roof.
Dr Sidhu said his vision is to continue partnering with African countries in the healthcare sector.
“The bigger vision is to work with these countries to share our expertise. We are collaborating with African governments in the health sector, and I am happy to say that Zimbabwe is part of the projects we are having in Africa. India is not really a rich country, but we have developed models of how to come up with a good health system at a low cost. We are very prepared to share our expertise and experiences on how African nations can build a better health system,” he said.
The flagship hospital specialises in emergency care, foetal medicine, gastroenterology, herpetology, obstetrics and international radiology.
Through capacity-building programmes, Dr Sidhu said, the hospital has trained more than 50 doctors and nurses from Africa.
“In 2017, we had a programme where we had 50 doctors from the African countries sponsored by the government for a six weeks’ training programme. We now work with countries in both public and private sectors across the world. Apollo Hospitals has a big focus on capacity-building.”
In a recent interview with The Sunday Mail, India’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Bramha Kumar said cooperation in the health sector is flourishing between the two countries.
“India has been a preferable choice for cost-effective and quality healthcare services. I am happy to note the active participation of Indian hospitals and some Zimbabwean companies to provide medical tourism in India,” he said.
Ambassador Kumar said more than 400 Zimbabweans visit India every year for medical treatment.
“There are several memorandums of understanding on health cooperation that are under consideration. We are also setting up an AYUSH (traditional Indian medicine system) chair at Chinhoyi University of Technology.
“It would be appreciated if we get some support from the Ministry of Health, Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe,” added Amb Kumar.
The familiarisation visit, which was organised by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, brought together 32 journalists from East and Southern Africa.
Journalists had an opportunity to experience the operations of India’s high technology companies, media industries and companies that underpin India’s economic growth.
Bongani Ndlovu