Vusumuzi Dube
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
BULAWAYO and surrounding areas are set to benefit from specialist medical services as a team of eleven doctors from the Islamic Republic of Iran arrived in the city on Thursday where they are expected to offer various medical services, share technics, technologies as well as information on health issues as part of a bilateral initiative between Tehran and Harare.
The delegation was received by Mpilo and United Bulawayo Hospitals management where they will be attached.
The visit marks the beginning of a great friendship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Zimbabwe where both nations agreed on partnerships in Health Policy and Health Systems Management at all levels.
United Bulawayo Hospitals acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Harrison Rambanapasi spoke on the visit and how the specialists will work with their local counterparts.
“We received a number of specialist doctors from Iran. We are very happy to receive this delegation and I would like to thank the Ministry of Health for such an initiative. They are here as part of a government-to-government initiative where the two governments are trying to create a platform for exchange of medical ideas.
“The doctors we received today are quite senior and are going to be working hand in glove with local doctors for 10 days at United Bulawayo Hospitals and Mpilo Hospital. During that time, they will be treating patients together, operating patients together and in that process, there is going to be exchange of ideas, information and sharing of knowledge between the doctors from the two countries.
He said the visit would help the city’s specialist doctors and capacitate them through information sharing on how they could improve their healthcare delivery.
“This initiative will benefit the people of Bulawayo and the region in the sense that it will improve the knowledge of our specialists so that they will be able to take care of our patients. What we have done at UBH is that we have set aside one theatre which was lying idle to be used during this program and beyond. We are going to have a lot of local patients that will receive care from the set of doctors working together,” said Dr Rambanapasi.
Head of delegation from Iran, Dr Seyed Nasser Emadi said the visit was meant to improve the healthcare delivery system of both countries through knowledge sharing.
“This is an important mission for me and my colleagues because we believe health and safety is not only for Iran or a specific country. Every doctor or individual in the field of medicine should be active and ready to receive anyone who is calling even from other countries, cities or even continents. So, the purpose of our visit is that we believe the health and safety of our people can be improved when medical practitioners exchange knowledge and expertise in the field.
“We also realise that we can work together when we interact than when we are separate from each other. Such visits help us understand the challenges faced by our counterparts and our patients so that we know how we can help. According to the strong relationship that we have with Zimbabwe, doctors here will also come to Iran and have a similar experience,” said Dr Emadi.
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