Health Reporter
Zimbabwe is facing significant challenges in meeting its target for open heart surgeries, with current statistics indicating that the country is falling short of the expected annual goal.
Each year, around 4,000 children are born with congenital heart defects that require surgical intervention, alongside a waiting list of 500 to 600 adults suffering from rheumatic heart disease who also need open-heart surgery.
Recently, a collaborative effort between Zimbabwean and Egyptian cardiac specialists resulted in successful surgeries for 10 children under the age of 14 at Parirenyatwa Hospital. However, Dr. Simukayi Machawira, the head of cardiology, emphasized the need for improvement, stating,
“We obviously need a lot of support in terms of manpower; our main limitation has been the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).”
Dr. Machawira outlined the ideal scenario for the country’s surgical capacity:
“Ideally, we should have an independent cardiothoracic ICU, and to keep a single surgeon competent, we should be doing 150 open heart surgeries annually. This means we are looking at doing at least three cases per week to reach that target.”
He acknowledged the challenges ahead, noting,
“It is obviously going to be a process; it’s not going to be an event, but this is something we are working towards.”
The collaboration with the Egyptian team is seen as a vital step, with plans to send staff for training to enhance local capabilities.
Open-heart surgeries at Parirenyatwa Hospital were reinstated in June 2023 after a hiatus that began in 2018. The cardiac specialists at the hospital have set a goal of conducting 60 open surgeries in 2024, and as of last week, they had successfully completed 40 surgeries.
Dr. Machawira’s remarks highlight the urgent need for resources and training to improve the surgical outcomes for patients in Zimbabwe, as the country strives to meet its healthcare targets.
Zim GBC News©2024