Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
IN a milestone achievement for the health sector in Manicaland, whose population of more than two million is currently being served by two obstetricians and gynaecologists, Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital has been accredited to begin training of these and other specialist medical experts.
Following massive brain drain, the province was forced to make do with acute scarcity of specialist medical experts such as obstetricians who focus on pregnancy-related health issues, and gynaecologists who deal with general reproductive health.
The specialists work closely together, and in some cases may have certification in both areas.
In the past, the training for obstetricians and gynaecologists was confined to University of Zimbabwe in Harare, with part of their study timeframes in some cases being done in Bulawayo as well.
The second type of training was a sort of fellowship where general practitioners would go, and take their examinations in South Africa, before trekking back to register in Zimbabwe or other countries.
However, the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ECSACOG), a regional virtual university administered in Ethiopia, is now using hospitals that are already offering such specialist services, including Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital, as its training institutions to promote universal access to health.
The Manica Post can exclusively reveal that a long-term plan to boost the number of obstetricians and gynaecologists is already on course in Manicaland, with the first batch of three students currently undergoing training at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital.
General practitioners apply, and the secretariat contacts the accredited hospital to enrol successful candidates after interviews, following which training will commence at the accredited institution.
During the course, students will undertake examinations, get study material and operate under the watchful eye of local obstetricians and gynaecologists.
Currently, at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital, the Central and Southern Africa College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology programme is being monitored by Drs Miriam Kanyenze and Reuben Bishi.
Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital medical superintendent, Dr Hilary Makiwa confirmed that the provincial referral hospital has been successfully accredited to train these specialists.
“The whole of Manicaland has only two Government obstetricians and gynaecologists. These gynaecologists are the ones who do obstetric as well. Gynaecology has more to do with diseases of female reproductive system, while obstetric has more to do with the delivery of babies (maternal health).
“You will find that there are only two specialists in that field in the whole province, meaning two gynaecologists covering a population of over two million in Manicaland.
“We have an acute shortage of these experts, and ordinarily the ideal situation will be 1:10 000 or 1:20 000. All the seven districts in Manicaland – Mutasa, Nyanga, Buhera, Chimanimani, Chipinge, Makoni and Mutare – refer cases that require these specialist services to Mutare, where they are handled by the two specialists.
“It is true that Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital has been accredited to be one of the institutions offering training of these specialist experts in the last few months, and we have started training, with three students in the first year, and the training is for four years. When they finish training, we will have a little more students coming on board in these specialist fields. The course title is fellowship in ECSACOG,” he said.
Dr Makiwa said the same strategy will be used to boost the number of other medical specialists, especially in areas adversely affected by brain drain.
“A lot of medical specialist areas need such interventions. We are also pursuing such interventions in paediatrics. The accreditation team came to accredit Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital as a paediatric training institution, and there are certain few things that they recommended, which we are currently addressing.
“We also have the area of surgery, where we need the same kind of intervention. Some of the requirements include that we have at least two or more specialists that are resident at the training institution. Already, we have two paediatricians, and expect a seamless accreditation for the training to go ahead soon.
“The hospital also has two physicians, internal medicine specialists, and we are trying to push the accreditation process, and once we have it, then we will be having home-grown solutions to local problems. That means we will now be able to train and upgrade local general practitioners into specialists, and the advantage is that the rate of retaining them will be higher than will be the case if they are trained somewhere,” he said.
Dr Makiwa also gave the background to the training processes.
“If they do not do well in their tests and exams, they will be asked to go all over again until they pass. There will also be a lot of hands-on experience, mentorship and training from existing specialists. For one to be a trainer in a specific field they need to have a minimum experience of five years, and we are proud to inform you that our trainers boast more years of experience under their belt, coupled with hands-on experience and participation,” said Dr Makiwa.
