Online Reporter
Josephine Nyamwanza
Correspondent
RUSAPE General Hospital has appointed a dietician for the first time in history, a major milestone aimed at improving patient nutrition management and overall healthcare outcomes.
The development comes as the hospital moves to strengthen its clinical support services, with a specific focus on nutrition care for patients with chronic illnesses, maternal health needs, and paediatric cases.
For years, patients discharged from Rusape General Hospital have been receiving general dietary advice through nurses and doctors, but without the depth, consistency, and specialisation required for complex medical nutrition therapy.
Confirming the development, Rusape General Hospital medical superintendent, Dr Stewart Karembo said the hospital is embracing a long-overdue upgrade in clinical care.
“This is a major milestone for Rusape General Hospital. For many years, nutrition counselling was integrated informally into nursing and doctor consultations, but the complexity of today’s disease burden demands dedicated expertise,” he said, adding that the appointment will strengthen multidisciplinary treatment and caregiver support.
“Patients with diabetes, hypertension, maternal health needs, renal conditions, paediatric growth concerns, and malnutrition cases require evidence-based nutrition care. A dietician will provide personalised medical nutrition therapy, guide caregivers, and support integrated treatment plans,” he said, further emphasising that nutrition must now be treated as structured therapeutic care, not reactive advice.
“We are strengthening our clinical support services to ensure that nutrition care is no longer reactive, but preventive, structured, and therapeutic. This appointment will help us improve treatment outcomes, reduce readmission rates, and empower families with the knowledge to support healing at home,” he said.
The announcement has sparked widespread approval among residents, caregivers, and health advocates, many of whom believe that nutrition support has been one of the most overlooked components of treatment at the institution.
In an interview, residents emphasised that the appointment is, not just a hospital upgrade, but a long-awaited intervention for families navigating chronic and long-term treatment plans.
“We have struggled for years watching relatives battle diabetes and high blood pressure without proper nutrition guidance. A dietician will finally give families answers, not guesswork,” said Mr Farai Mungofa, reflecting on years of trial and error meal planning for his family members living with non-communicable diseases.
Ms Rumbidzai Chidavaenzi, a vegetable vendor and caregiver to an aunt receiving hypertension treatment, said she has watched patients leave the facility without clarity on what foods support recovery and medication response.
“Some patients come back from the hospital more confused about what to eat than before. Nurses do their best, but diet is a whole science. This appointment brings hope,” she said.
A 17-year-old Tapiwa Jeke, whose sibling receives asthma care at the hospital, said nutrition influences more than physical healing, including medication effectiveness and childhood growth.
“Nutrition affects healing, growth, and even medication response. This is not just a hospital change, it is a community lifeline,” he said.
The hospital’s decision to appoint a nutrition specialist reflects the rising demand for medical nutrition therapy (MNT), a clinical approach now widely recognised in global healthcare systems, including the United States, Europe, and parts of Africa.
Chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, cardiovascular disease, renal disorders, obesity, and diet-linked allergies now account for a significant share of hospital admissions in sub-Saharan Africa.
Unlike infectious diseases, these conditions are long-term, lifestyle-linked, and require continuous patient education and structured nutrition plans to prevent complications, reduce readmissions, and improve treatment success.
A dietician’s role is to translate clinical diagnosis into structured therapeutic feeding plans that are evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and sustainable for families across different economic backgrounds.
Rusape General Hospital is one of the referral hospitals in Manicaland, receiving patients from multiple districts across Makoni and surrounding areas, including Headlands, Murehwa, Mutoko, Nyazura, Makoni North, Makoni South, and parts of Buhera.
Its catchment population includes rural communities, peri-urban settlements, farming zones, growth points, and remote villages where access to specialised health services remains limited.
