Parirenyatwa launches life-saving paediatric cardiac surgery camp

Life-saving paediatric cardiac surgeries are underway at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, giving critically ill children a renewed chance at survival while strengthening Zimbabwe’s long-term cardiac care capacity.

The week-long surgical camp, running from Monday to Friday, has brought together a specialised team of Egyptian cardiac experts working hand-in-hand with local doctors to perform complex open-heart procedures on children with congenital heart defects.

Leading cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Simukayi Machawira, said the initiative responds to an urgent national need while accelerating skills transfer to local specialists.

“This is a paediatric camp for heart diseases. It is our third camp with our visiting colleagues from Egypt. They arrived yesterday, and we screened patients the same day. The surgeries are running from Monday to Friday, and our guests will depart on Saturday. We are aiming to operate on at least 10 patients, and hopefully 11 if possible,” said Dr Machawira.

He noted that many families face repeated hospital visits because their children’s heart conditions remain untreated, adding that the current interventions will help reduce that burden.

“We are hoping to save many children who frequently suffer infections and repeated hospital admissions. This intervention will go a long way in supporting families and reducing the burden of repeated hospital visits. Roughly 4 000 children born every year require cardiac surgery,” he said.

The visiting medical team is led by paediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, Professor Hisham Shawky, who praised the progress made by Zimbabwean specialists since the partnership began three years ago.

“I think we are doing well because the team is improving. Most importantly, they now have a new heart-lung machine procured by the Government, which will further strengthen the programme. We have also brought additional instruments for the local team to work with. I believe they are now ready to advance the programme on their own,” Professor Shawky said.

He emphasised the urgency of early intervention for congenital heart disease, which affects thousands of newborns annually.

“As Dr Machawira mentioned, the number of patients requiring surgery is very high. We often say that out of every 1 000 newborns, about eight are born with heart defects. The challenge is that if they do not receive surgery within the first year of life, around 25 percent may not survive to their first birthday,” he explained.

Beyond saving lives in the immediate term, the camp is designed to help build a sustainable paediatric cardiac surgery programme in Zimbabwe through continuous skills transfer, equipment support and collaborative practice.