Online Reporter
By Nyore Madzianike
ZIMSMART Villages’ chief medical officer Dr Addmore Jokwiro has received recognition on an international level after being awarded the 2025 Virtual Care Leadership Excellence Award by the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Telehealth Organisation at its annual conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A distinguished figure in the medical field, Dr Jokwiro has made substantial contributions through his e-Health programme across Zimbabwe.
The award honours his leadership in pioneering and implementing telehealth solutions, particularly through the establishment of telehealth kiosks in post offices nationwide.
As part of the ZimSmart Villages initiative, 17 post offices have been equipped with these kiosks, along with the launch of a virtual hospital to support clients with non-communicable diseases.
This innovative project represents a transformative approach to healthcare access, integrating technology to facilitate consultations, tele-diagnostics and tele-pharmacy.
Dr Jokwiro emphasised that this recognition reflects the vital work being done in Zimbabwe to enhance healthcare access through telehealth.
“I was the winner in the Virtual Care Leadership Excellence individual category,” said Dr Jokwiro.
“I am attending their annual conference, which is taking place in Saudi Arabia and I am speaking on virtual care in LMICS tomorrow morning.
“This recognition is for ZimSmart Villages, our stakeholders, internal and external, our supporters and partners. The government of Zimbabwe has given us a social license to innovate and operate and for that we are grateful to the Ministries of Health and ICT.
“The award is timely as it creates a bedrock for collaboration with countries like Saudi Arabia who have been moving swiftly to embed virtual care as a key health delivery mode.”
