By Ndumiso Mlilo.
JOHANNESBURG, Zimbabwe. (News Of The South) – The Zimbabwean government will resume cardiac surgery after clinching a deal with an international medical supply organization, Medtronic Africa to supply critical equipment needed in process.
The country has not done surgical surgery since 2003 forcing those who can afford to seek it elsewhere out of the country. Medtronic will supply critical equipment needed in cardiac surgery, ongoing training and sourcing of expertise to assist in complex surgeries, to the Parirenyatwa Hospital, College of Health Science and the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. They will supply heart-lung machine, which temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs during surgery, heater/cooler device for temperature control, an Activated Clotting Time (ACT) device to prevent blood clots and an autoLog Autotransfusion (cell saver) System, which enables patients to receive transfusions with their own blood during surgical procedures.
Dr. David Chimuka, the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon at the Parirenyatwa hospital welcomed the partnership as a positive move which will assist the hospital and the country. He said, “We lost at least half of the people who needed surgery during that time – all unnecessary deaths. When I met with Medtronic, they realised that, more than just equipment, we needed a long-term solution that would be sustainable into the future. It was a complex challenge, but within 24 hours, they came back with its proposal.”
The deal will last about five years with Medtronic servicing the equipment and transfering skills. The move is likely to be good news to over 400 Zimbabweans waiting cardiac surgery. William Stranix, the Sub-Saharan Africa country director for Medtronic, said: “At Medtronic, we believe that no one can solve the world’s healthcare challenges alone. We work on collaborating to create strong partnerships like Parirenyatwa hospital to ensure that we can provide quality healthcare to more people. We hope that this partnership can be mirrored in other organisations in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa to provide sustainable access to the underserved and improve patient outcomes. We aim to find new ways to create powerful solutions that drive clinical and economic value.”
Medtronic stated that ten children born with congenital heart disease will be the first to receive surgery to repair ventricular septal defects (a hole in the inner wall of the heart).
One in 100 children are born with congenital heart disease in Zimbabwe like the rest of the world. Medtronic hope for 150 surgeries on children and adults to be performed annually.
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