Zimbabwean doctors at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals have successfully performed a groundbreaking first-of-its-kind operation on a child suffering from cancer in both kidneys, marking a major milestone for the country’s public healthcare sector.
The highly specialised surgery involved removing one cancer-affected kidney while preserving part of the second kidney, ensuring the child remains cancer-free without requiring dialysis.
Wilms tumour, one of the most common childhood cancers, usually affects only one kidney, making the case particularly rare and medically complex.
The operation was led by paediatric surgeons Dr Muparadzi and Dr Moyo alongside a multidisciplinary team of specialists, anaesthetists and nurses at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
Medical doctor and health advocate Dr Mai Ropa described the achievement as a landmark moment for Zimbabwean medicine.
“This highly specialized operation, the first of its kind at Parirenyatwa Hospital, ensures that the child is free from cancer but still has enough normal kidney tissue to be able to survive without requiring dialysis,” Dr Mai Ropa said in a public post.
She added: “Although cancer is a devastating diagnosis for any family, with the proper care, children are able to recover and be cured.”
Dr Mai Ropa also commended the surgeons, anaesthetists and nursing staff involved in the operation, as well as partners who helped equip the children’s theatre at Parirenyatwa.
“Hats off to the surgeons, anaesthetists and nursing staff at Parirenyatwa. Lives are being saved in this theatre,” she said.
The successful surgery is being seen as a powerful demonstration of the expertise, innovation and resilience that continues to exist within Zimbabwe’s public health sector.
