The Avenues Clinic backs incremental reform to strengthen health system

CLOUDINE MATOLA

The Avenues Clinic has called on health institutions and professionals to adopt an incremental, resource-conscious approach to strengthening Zimbabwe’s strained health system, arguing that sustained progress will come through small but consistent improvements rather than sweeping interventions.

Speaking at the hospital’s commemoration of International Nurses Day this week, general manager Sibusisiwe Ndhlovu said the responsibility to improve healthcare delivery lies collectively with citizens, practitioners, and institutions working with what is available.

“I think I will take the words of the Honorable Deputy Minister. My summary of what he said is: do what you can with what you have, where you are, bit by bit, it will happen,” she said.

Ndhlovu said this approach was already visible in parts of the country’s health infrastructure, pointing to ongoing improvements in public facilities alongside private sector upgrades.

“As a country, that is what we are doing. We are just doing what we can, using what we have, whenever we can, with all our heart. Little by little, we can see our country changing, even in our own eyes,” she said.

She cited Parirenyatwa Hospital as an example of gradual refurbishment, while also noting that private institutions such as Avenues Clinic had moved ahead in certain areas of facility modernisation.

“When you pass through Parirenyatwa, you can see the refurbishment. We started it here at Avenues; they’ve run faster than us and it’s looking absolutely beautiful,” she said, underscoring uneven but visible progress across the sector.

Ndhlovu emphasised that national development in healthcare requires shared responsibility, with each institution contributing according to its capacity.

“As a country, we do so much together, each one playing their own part to the best of their ability. At the end of the day, we save one patient,” she said.

She also highlighted the importance of collaboration between public and private healthcare institutions, saying such partnerships are essential for both service delivery and skills development.

“We also play a part in capacity building and in learning from public institutions, just as our students also go there for training. It is really a partnership,” she said.

Ndhlovu added that such cooperation ensures that institutions contribute meaningfully to national goals while also building long-term institutional memory and professional pride.

“It is for our people, for our country, and also for ourselves—so that when we look back, we can say we contributed positively to what the nation is trying to achieve,” she said.