Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
THE Second Republic’s Education 5.0 philosophy continues to yield tangible results, with the University of Zimbabwe Specialist Medical Centre in Avondale now positioned as the national referral hub for oral health, eye care and assisted reproduction, while also anchoring the country’s first Quinary Hospital.
Construction of the Quinary Hospital, which represents the highest level of super-specialist healthcare, medical research and advanced clinical training in Zimbabwe, is already underway in Mazowe, opposite the Zimbabwe National Defence University.
ZANU PF secretary-general Cde Advocate Jacob Mudenda led a high-powered Politburo delegation on an assessment tour of the university’s innovation hubs to evaluate progress under the heritage-based education model championed by President Mnangagwa.
The tour commenced at the UZ Specialist Medical Centre in Avondale, which was recently commissioned by President Mnangagwa, before proceeding to other innovation hubs on the main campus.
Speaking during the visit, Cde Mudenda said localising super-specialist care aligns directly with the Government’s thrust to curb medical tourism, conserve foreign currency and position Zimbabwe as a regional destination for specialised treatment.
“We are informed that this is part of a new hospital, the Quinary Hospital, which is being constructed in Mazowe opposite the Zimbabwe National Defence University.
“In fact, construction has already started and this Avondale establishment should be part and parcel of the Quinary Hospital,” said Cde Mudenda.
“The whole idea is for Zimbabwe to excel in medical knowledge so that treatment takes place in Zimbabwe instead of patients going abroad. It could become a centre for medical tourism like Dubai.”
Detailing the set-up, UZ Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo explained that the Avondale facility was a formerly dilapidated and abandoned staff residential complex that had been completely restored and repurposed under the Second Republic to serve as an extension of the main Quinary Hospital network.
Prof Mapfumo said the multidisciplinary centre houses dedicated units for oral health, optometry and ophthalmology, a specialised pharmacy, a Trauma and Emergency Unit, and the Centre for Assisted Reproductive Health, designed to assist couples experiencing fertility challenges.
“The Quinary Hospital is intended to serve as a super-specialist institution that provides advanced treatment for people in Zimbabwe,” said Prof Mapfumo.
“It will also host specialists from across the globe who wish to establish clinics in Zimbabwe.
“Instead of Zimbabweans travelling to other countries, those specialists can use Zimbabwe as a hub from which they perform the same procedures locally.”
The delegation also inspected the fully operational International Surgical Simulation Centre, where UZ is already training surgeons in minimally invasive procedures through global live-stream broadcasts with international partners, including institutions in Egypt and England.
From the medical facilities, the delegation visited the Art, Design and Technology Complex, which houses textile manufacturing, sports science, building technology and music education laboratories, as well as the National High Performance Computing Centre and the completed UZ Innovation Hub.
The delegation included Secretary for Education, Ideology and Research Cde Charles Tawengwa, National Political Commissar Cde Munyaradzi Machacha, Secretary for War Veterans Affairs Cde Douglas Mahiya, and Secretary for External Relations Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, among other senior party officials.
Yesterday’s tour follows another conducted two weeks ago, during which the delegation visited the UZ Industrial Incubation Centre in Msasa and the Agro-Industrial Park.
Source: UZ Specialist Centre anchors Quinary Hospital Vision – herald
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