Govt Plans to Equip Hospitals for Local Open-Heart Surgeries

The Zimbabwean government has announced steps to acquire advanced medical equipment to enable open-heart surgeries at major public hospitals—a critical development aimed at addressing long-standing gaps in specialist treatment services.

This follows a recent successful series of pediatric open-heart procedures performed at Parirenyatwa Hospital by a visiting team of Egyptian specialists, under a government-backed collaboration initiative.

In a statement delivered in Parliament, Deputy Health Minister Sleiman Kwidini confirmed that efforts are underway to decentralize cardiac surgery services across central hospitals by equipping them with the necessary modern tools.

“While we’re not yet operating at full capacity, largely due to staff shortages and the absence of appropriate equipment, we are now in the process of procuring these machines,” Kwidini said. “Our aim is to eventually provide these services in all central hospitals where trained specialists are already available.”

He added that once fully operational, these surgeries would be offered free of charge to Zimbabwean patients.

The shortage of critical medical equipment in public healthcare institutions has long forced many citizens to seek specialized care abroad, often in countries like India. However, this option remains out of reach for many due to high costs, leaving low-income patients dependent on overstretched local facilities.

Kwidini emphasized that improving local healthcare capacity is now a government priority.

“As per our policy direction, we want to empower our local specialists by ensuring they have the necessary tools to do their work effectively,” he said. “That’s why the President has committed to modernizing our health institutions, so we can offer high-level treatment locally and reduce the need for costly medical travel.”