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Tendai Rupapa-Senior Reporter

ZIMBABWE has, courtesy of First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa’s partnership with Merck Foundation, provided more than 100 scholarships to Zimbabwean doctors in many critical specialties and under-served disciplines as part of a drive to transform healthcare quality and allow equitable access for all.

This is the first time since Independence in 1980 that a First Lady has led from the front and made interventions to ensure the nation accesses quality healthcare facilities.

Amai Mnangagwa, an ambassador for Merck More than a Mother, yesterday co-chaired Merck Foundation’s virtual annual summit with the organisation’s chief executive Dr Rasha Kelej.

She is also the country’s Health ambassador.

Areas covered by the scholarships, the First Lady said, included Fertility and Embryology, Oncology, Diabetes, Cardiovascular, Endocrinology, Sexual and Reproductive Medicine, Respiratory, Acute Medicines, Clinical Microbiology and infectious diseases. 

Through the said scholarships, United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) now boasts a facility offering services to infertility patients.

Journalists have also benefited from the partnership and got an opportunity to sharpen their skills in reporting sensitive issues around infertility which are often stigmatised.

Yesterday’s summit discussed capacity-building and development programmes aimed at transforming the landscape of patient care and make a history in Zimbabwe. 

“I’d like to welcome all of you our doctors, the future healthcare experts who have either already graduated or undergoing or will join soon Merck Foundation scholarships of specialty training in critical and under-served specialities. 

“And to also meet the winners of all Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards who are our health and social community champions to break infertility stigma and raise awareness about other health and social issues such as girl education and the ongoing coronavirus. I am proud of each one of you, keep up the good work,” she said.

The First Lady said her partnership with Merck Foundation helped to reshape the public healthcare sector in Zimbabwe through training and mentorship for media partners to improve their role in effective community awareness.

In this difficult time of the third wave of coronavirus, she said it was critical to discuss the right strategy to address the global crisis and benefit from members’ training experience and many success stories. 

“Ladies and gentlemen; especially during the Covid-19 global crisis and lockdown, we are interested more than ever in building healthcare capacity and training our local doctors who are our first line defence and the heroes of our coronavirus battle. 

“We were also interested more than ever to advance our media capacity through health training and mentorship programmes and awards to improve the awareness about Covid-19 and how to stay safe and healthy during our day to day life,” she said.

The First Lady said more than nine doctors had either graduated or enrolled in a Fertility and Embryology Training Programme in India, while over 20 doctors from different provinces in Zimbabwe were either undergoing or had been shortlisted for online one-year diploma in Sexual and Reproductive Medicines from South Wales, UK or Two-year Master’s Degree in the Biotechnology of Human Assisted Reproduction and Embryology Valencia University, Spain. 

“Together with Ministry of Health we will follow up to ensure they are making a good use of this great opportunity so that they can help women in general and infertile couples in particular, across the country. Also, we are transforming the diabetes care in our country. More than 55 scholarships of one-year diploma, two-year master degree or master course have been provided to our doctors in the field of diabetes care. 

“Furthermore, together we enrolled five doctors to One-Year Online Post Graduate Diploma in Endocrinology and six doctors in one-year Preventive Cardiovascular Medicines Diploma from University of South Wales. Moreover, one doctor has been enrolled to One Year Fellowship in Surgical Oncology, in India, and will start as soon as the travel restrictions are lifted.” 

As the Merck more than a Mother ambassador, the First Lady said she would work in collaboration with various ministries to sensitise communities and rural areas to break the stigma around infertile women and to empower them through access to information, education, health and change of mindset. 

She emphasised that the media has an important role to play in raising awareness to creating a culture shift to break infertility stigma.

“We also organised Merck Foundation Health Media Training for journalists to educate them on how to be the voice of the voiceless and raise awareness on sensitive issues like breaking infertility stigma,” she said.

Co-chairing the summit with Amai Mnangagwa, Senator Dr Kelej said their joint programmes sought to transform the patient care landscape in Zimbabwe through building healthcare capacity and raising awareness about breaking infertility stigma and support girl education.

“By building professional healthcare capacity, we have been able to transform the landscape of patient care in Zimbabwe. This is a huge achievement.

“I am happy to meet (virtually) our alumni and discuss their impact on improving the quality of healthcare in the country after receiving specialised medical scholarships provided by Merck Foundation. 

“Moreover, I am equally excited to meet the winners of the Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards and to discuss with them the significant role they have been playing to break the stigma around infertility, empowering girls and women through education, and raising awareness about coronavirus,” Dr Kelej said.

She said through her foundation’s partnership with Amai Mnangagwa, they had been able to reshape the landscape of Zimbabwe’s healthcare sector and empower healthcare providers and motivate them to provide better care to people, especially during this difficult time of Covid-19.

“Moreover, together with Zimbabwe First Lady, Merck Foundation has introduced 6 important Awards for Media, Fashion, Film, and Music fraternity,” she said.

Alumni from Merck Foundation’s initiatives also shared with the meeting their gratitude and how they had benefited from the First Lady’s partnership with Merck Foundation.

Gynaecologist Dr Harrison Rambanepasi expressed gratitude for the opportunity he got to train in fertility and other associated fields.

“The training was in India for three months. 

“I have also enrolled for a diploma in sexual and reproductive medicine with University of South Wales. It’s an online one year course fully funded by the Merck Foundation. 

“There is an option to do a Master’s degree. The training helps to enhance one’s understanding of infertility issues and puts you in a better place to evaluate and treat patients having infertility problems,” he said.

Dr Rambanepasi said following the training, he received, he had started seeing infertility patients at United Bulawayo Hospitals.

“We evaluate them to try to find out what the cause of their infertility is. Before this scholarship training, it would have been impossible to try and start an infertility clinic at UBH. The challenge we have is that most of our patients cannot afford the various tests that are required as part of evaluation of infertile couples. 

“Unfortunately, Government hospitals are not doing most of the tests required so patients have to go to private laboratories and the costs there are prohibitive,” he said.

Another beneficiary, Dr Mugove Madzivire, an obstetrician and gynaecologist who also lectures at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), expressed gratitude and said he was already using the wealth of experience he gained in his work and teachings.

“I have acquired a lot through my training in intra and IVF through the Merck sponsorship. I acquired a host of diagnostic skills. I acquired proficiency in intravenous scanning. I also benefited through therapeutic skills and I was then able to do wall-side retrievals and prescribe IVF cycles,” he said.

Dr Madzivire said when he came back from the Merck sponsored fellowship, he was able to increase his service to patients and impart the knowledge to his students. 

He thanked the First Lady for the opportunity which he said would benefit the nation.

The Herald’s Features, Health and Society Editor, Roselyn Sachiti, said the training she received from Merck Foundation had helped broaden her horizons and application as a journalist.

“The training from Merck Foundation, in partnership with First Lady Amai Mnangagwa, has helped me broaden my horizons and knowledge around infertility. I now have a better understanding of and appreciation of how infertility affects both men and women equally, the challenges they face,” she said.

Sachiti paid tribute to Amai Mnangagwa for the work she was doing in raising awareness on infertility and the support she was giving women and couples faced with infertility. 

“Through her work, Amai Mnangagwa has reached out to affected couples. As the media we will continue to support her work through the articles we write to raise awareness on infertility. I also thank Dr Kelej for the work she is doing in Africa, not just training the media, giving out awards, but supporting doctors with training in underserved disciplines,” she said.

Another winning journalist, Tashinga Masawi said infertility was one of the most challenging things one could go through in life. 

“The random comments and statements that people find so easy to throw around when they assume one should be with a child cause so much pain and discomfort to many who are struggling with infertility issues. One of the things that makes this battle even more difficult is the culture of secrecy around the issue and the belief that infertility is a woman’s problem. This is why initiatives by the First Lady and the Merck Foundation are important and effective,” she said. 

“The efforts that our First Lady Amai Mnangagwa have put in addressing sensitive issues are indeed timely and without a doubt something our generation needs. I am grateful to our First Lady Amai Mnangagwa, Dr Rasha Kelej and the Merck Foundation for giving the African woman a voice.”