Private sector key to expanding healthcare access — Minister Ncube

Gibson Mhaka, [email protected]
THE private healthcare sector must continue complementing Government efforts to expand access to quality and affordable healthcare as Zimbabwe works to transform its health delivery system, Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Judith Ncube has said.

Minister Ncube said a stronger public-private partnership was essential as the country’s healthcare needs continued to grow, while Government faced increasing demands for infrastructure, equipment, technology and skilled health personnel.

She was speaking at the renaming of the Cimas Bulawayo Medical Centre in honour of late medical pioneer Dr Sipho Leonard Vivian Zwana, where she commended private healthcare providers for investing in facilities and services that complement public health institutions.

Minister Ncube said Government remained responsible for setting policy, providing leadership and ensuring equitable access to healthcare, but the private sector had an important role in strengthening the national health system.

“Cimas Health Group, as a private healthcare provider, complements this national responsibility. They are doing so through investment in infrastructure, technology, healthcare professionals, diagnostics, primary healthcare, medical aid, wellness programmes and other services,” said Minister Ncube.

She said such investments expand the capacity of the national health system and contribute to improved health outcomes and healthier communities.

Minister Ncube said the growing partnership between Government and private healthcare providers is critical in ensuring that Zimbabweans have access to quality healthcare.

“As the Government, we therefore welcome initiatives that strengthen quality, expand access, encourage innovation and improve the standards of healthcare available to Zimbabweans,” she said.

Minister Ncube said the gesture went beyond changing the name of a building, describing it as an effort to preserve a legacy that could inspire future generations of healthcare professionals.

“Excellence deserves to be remembered, and perhaps most importantly, we are saying that a good legacy is not meant only to be admired. It must challenge the next generation to do even better,” she said.

The minister urged healthcare professionals to draw inspiration from Dr Zwana’s five decades of service.

“Let the Dr Sipho Zwana Medical Centre be both a monument to a pioneer and a mandate for us to do more. That is how we truly honour 52 years of service. That is how we build the next 100 years of healing,” she said.

Cimas Health Group chief executive officer Vulindlela Ndlovu said the private sector could not address the country’s healthcare challenges on its own and called for closer collaboration among Government, healthcare providers and citizens.

He said the limited coverage of medical aid remained a major barrier to accessing private healthcare, with less than 10 percent of the population covered.

“We in the private sector do what we can, but it’s not enough. Medical aids are only covering less than 10 percent of the population. It’s not enough,” said Mr Ndlovu.

“Healthcare must not be a privilege,” he said, urging stakeholders to find sustainable ways of expanding healthcare coverage and improving outcomes.

Ndlovu said individuals also had a responsibility to take greater care of their health, noting that governments everywhere faced resource constraints and could not shoulder the entire healthcare burden.

“Let’s converge on seeking the solutions in our healthcare because at the end of the day, it matters that each one of us is well,” he said.

Bulawayo mayor David Coltart, represented by his deputy Edwin Ndlovu, said private investment was playing an important role in complementing municipal health services and Government hospitals.

He said the city’s growing population required additional healthcare facilities and that more private-sector investment would help ease pressure on public institutions.

“Cimas Health Group has significantly invested towards the provision of medical healthcare in Bulawayo, complementing our municipal health services and Government hospitals,” said Coltart.

He said the city is working to unlock more investment opportunities in the health sector, with the long-term goal of positioning Bulawayo as a medical tourism destination.

“Our wish is to develop Bulawayo into a medical tourism city,” he said.

The city is operationalising its master plan and has identified areas such as the George Avenue corridor and Ascot precinct for further investment, including medical facilities.
Coltart said investment in healthcare is an investment in the wellbeing and development of the city.

“When you invest in the health sector, you are investing in our wellbeing, and a healthy society leads to a developed society,” he said.

Dr Zwana, who died in 2019, was the first black doctor to work at Mpilo Central Hospital and later became Zimbabwe’s first black anaesthetist after obtaining a fellowship in anaesthetics from the Royal College of Surgeons.

He spent 52 years in the medical profession, working in Zimbabwe and abroad, and held senior positions at major health institutions, including serving as medical superintendent of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.

The renaming ceremony was held under the theme “A Legacy of Healthcare Excellence that Inspires Generations.”