Prominent Bulawayo surgeon dies

Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu
[email protected]

RENOWNED Bulawayo surgeon Dr Kelvin Tendai Kaseke has died.

He was 44.

Dr Kaseke died at Avenues Clinic in Harare, where he was admitted for an undisclosed illness.

United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH), acting clinical director Dr Harrison Rambanapasi, confirmed Dr Kaseke’s death.

“He passed on at around midnight (yesterday) after suffering a short illness. In fact, he fell ill about two weeks ago and had to seek treatment,” he said.

“He developed an emergency while he was there as he was bleeding in the head. He was also hypertensive, which could have likely contributed to his condition. It is unfortunate that he failed to respond to treatment and succumbed to the illness.”

Dr Rambanapasi said the medical fraternity had lost a senior and well-versed surgeon.

“He was a senior surgeon at UBH. He held one of the highest offices in the history of Zimbabwe’s medical profession. UBH has lost a brilliant surgeon. He was a loving and responsible man to his family.

“The greatest blow is on the medical fraternity. I personally worked with him and I gained a lot of knowledge and expertise from him. I must say I am truly gutted by his death,” said Dr Rambanapasi.

He said information on funeral and burial proceedings would be announced by the family.
Bulawayo provincial medical director Dr Maphios Siamuchembu said Dr Kaseke’s death is a great loss to the medical fraternity.

“Dr Kaseke’s passing on is a huge loss at multiple levels. He was my classmate at the University of Zimbabwe medical school, a colleague surgeon, he was an administrator having worked as an acting clinical director for UBH, a trainer and mentor for other surgeons at UBH as well as the male circumcision programme in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South and the Midlands provinces,” he said.

“He has a family and patients who have been counting on him. So it is a huge loss to me as a person, UBH, Bulawayo metropolitan province and the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa.

“This is an indescribable loss and you can’t fathom how much we have lost in that man and indeed it is a sad moment for all of us in the medical fraternity.”

Bulawayo medical practitioner Professor Solwayo Ngwenya described Dr Kaseke as a talented and dedicated doctor whom he mentored at Mpilo Central Hospital.

“We mentored him (Dr Kaseke) over the years at Mpilo. He was a very talented doctor who worked very hard over the years to specialise and become a general surgeon,” he said.

“We have lost a very nice, dedicated doctor who had a bright future ahead of him. Our deepest condolences to his family.”