Harare- Cimas Health Group has contributed to the training of about five percent of Zimbabwe’s specialist doctors through its Health Education Fund, helping strengthen the country’s medical workforce and expand specialised healthcare expertise.

Cimas chief executive officer Vuli Ndlovu said the Cimas Health Education Fund (CHEDU) had supported 65 beneficiaries since its establishment in 2007, including doctors, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, medical specialists and specialist nurses.

Speaking during the renaming ceremony of Van Praagh Medical Centre to Madeline Nyamwanza-Makonese Medical Centre, in honour of Zimbabwe’s first black female medical doctor, Ndlovu said the programme was helping develop the next generation of healthcare professionals.

“CHEDU started in 2007, and these are 25 undergraduates, pharmacists, doctors and lab scientists. Since about 2015, we started supporting specialists and we have since supported 36 medical specialists and four specialist nurses across 19 specialties and subspecialties,” he said.

The fund’s beneficiaries include specialists in cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, radiology, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, maxillofacial surgery, internal medicine, haematology and histopathology.

Ndlovu said Zimbabwe had approximately 750 specialist doctors, meaning Cimas had contributed to the training of about five percent of the country’s specialists.

He added that the impact extended beyond private healthcare, with many of the specialists supported by the programme also working in public hospitals.

Ndlovu said the investment was particularly fitting given Dr Madeline Nyamwanza-Makonese’s commitment to developing future generations of medical professionals.

The renaming of the medical centre recognises her contribution to Zimbabwe’s healthcare sector and highlights the importance of supporting the training and development of medical personnel.

Meanwhile, Ndlovu raised concern over rising healthcare costs, accusing some health professionals of overservicing through unnecessary medical tests, repeat consultations and prescriptions beyond what patients’ conditions require.

He said healthcare costs were rising faster than members’ incomes, with overservicing adding to pressures already caused by imported medicines, new technologies and other unavoidable expenses.

“Part is driven by something which may be within our control — overservicing. This means tests that do not change the diagnosis, repeat consultations that are not needed, and prescriptions beyond what the condition requires,” he said.

Ndlovu said fraud, waste and abuse were also contributing to rising claims, placing medical aid societies under pressure and threatening the affordability of private healthcare.

He warned that when claims consumed most of the contributions collected from members, medical aid societies had limited room to reduce premiums and could be forced to increase them to remain financially viable.

Higher premiums risk pushing more people out of medical aid, leaving patients with fewer options for accessing private treatment and potentially reducing the number of people able to afford services from private healthcare providers.