BULAWAYO — Cimas Health Group has renamed its Bulawayo Medical Centre after the late Dr Sipho Leonard Vivian Zwana, Zimbabwe’s first black anaesthetist, in recognition of his pioneering contribution to the country’s healthcare system.
The facility was officially renamed the Sipho Zwana Medical Centre during a ceremony held in Bulawayo on Wednesday.
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube said the decision would preserve the legacy of a medical professional who broke racial barriers and served the health sector for more than five decades.
“This occasion is about much more than changing the name of a building,” Ncube said.
“We are deliberately placing the name, work and memory of one of Zimbabwe’s distinguished medical pioneers in a place where future generations of health professionals, patients and members of the public will encounter it every day.”
Dr Zwana was born in 1933 to Reverend Solomon Sotshangani Zwana and Maria Thebe Zwana. He was the second-born son in a family of six children.
He qualified as a medical doctor at the University of Natal Medical School in South Africa in 1960, at a time when opportunities for black medical professionals were severely limited.
According to Ncube, Dr Zwana made history in 1970 when he became the first black Zimbabwean anaesthetist after obtaining a Diploma of Fellowship in the Faculty of Anaesthetics of the Royal College of Surgeons.
Anaesthetists play a critical role in surgical care, including assessing patients before operations, safely administering anaesthesia, monitoring vital functions during surgery and overseeing recovery. They are also involved in caring for critically ill patients.
Dr Zwana was also the first black doctor to serve at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo. He later became medical superintendent of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and subsequently headed United Bulawayo Hospitals.
His career extended beyond Zimbabwe, with professional service in the United Kingdom, Ghana and Kenya. He retired in 2013 after completing 52 years in medicine and died on February 16, 2019.
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Ncube said his career demonstrated how professional excellence and public service could overcome difficult social and institutional barriers.
“Dr Zwana’s generation faced barriers that many of us today may struggle to fully appreciate,” she said.
“Yet he chose to enter a profession that was demanding, specialised and, at the time, not easily accessible to black Zimbabweans. He did not merely enter the profession. He excelled. He served.”
The minister said the renamed centre should inspire young Zimbabweans, particularly doctors, nurses, scientists, technicians and other healthcare professionals, to pursue excellence and service.
She also commended Cimas for permanently recognising Dr Zwana, saying the most meaningful tribute would be to uphold the professional values for which he stood.
“A plaque can commemorate a person. A building can keep their name alive, but the greatest tribute is for the values that person stood for to continue influencing how we work,” Ncube said.
The minister also highlighted the importance of cooperation between the Government and private healthcare providers in expanding Zimbabwe’s health-service capacity.
She said the Government remained responsible for developing policy, regulating the health sector, providing public-health leadership and promoting equitable access to healthcare.
Private institutions such as Cimas, she added, complemented those efforts by investing in healthcare infrastructure, diagnostic services, technology, pharmacies, primary healthcare, wellness programmes and trained professionals.
Established in 1945, Cimas has operated for more than 80 years, developing from a medical aid society into a broader healthcare and wellness service provider.
Ncube said public-private cooperation had become increasingly important as Zimbabwe’s healthcare requirements continued to grow and become more complex.
“As Government, we therefore welcome initiatives that strengthen quality, expand access, encourage innovation and improve the standards of healthcare available to Zimbabweans,” she said.
“Let the 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.”
The ceremony was attended by Cimas Health Group executives, Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, members of the Zwana family, Government officials and representatives of the medical profession.
Before delivering her address, Ncube led guests in observing a moment of silence for the men, women and children who died in the Mbuya Nehanda ferry disaster on Lake Kariba.
