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Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
Indian medical investors are keen to partner Zimbabwean institutions to offer specialist treatment with plans now afoot to bring a hospital group that will open a specialist hospital in Harare, India Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Rungsung Masakui has said.

Zimbabweans, particularly the affluent, have been seeking medical attention in India where they offer medical facilities and expertise at a cheaper price.

Ambassador Masakui said although he was promoting medical tourism in India, he was making efforts to ensure some Zimbabweans can be treated locally.

“It’s not just about patients from Zimbabwe going to India to get treatment. Why can we not also collaborate? Partnership is not like you sell, I buy. Or you buy, I sell, we do not end there. I have been working on this since I came here engaging various people to talk about this.

“Last week, the Apollo Group of Hospitals were looking for collaboration with other private hospitals.

“Those are some efforts made by private hospitals in India.

“As far as I am concerned, we are looking for partnership not just to bring people from Zimbabwe to India, but people coming from India to invest.

“I am working to bring in a group of hospitals to set up a super specialty hospital in Zimbabwe, maybe in Harare, so that it becomes a treatment hub not only for Zimbabwe, but the region,” he said.

He said the health sector was important and something had to be done to ensure that not all patients go to India.

Ambassador Masakui said before he came into the country in May, he consulted various businesspeople in India and they were cautious to invest in Zimbabwe.