Avenues Clinic Under Fire as Radiology Shutdown Sparks Healthcare Crisis

The Avenues Clinic (image source)

In a dramatic turn that has sent shockwaves through Zimbabwe’s private healthcare sector, the radiology department at Harare’s Avenues Clinic, long regarded as the country’s largest private 24-hour hospital, has been forcibly shut down, putting critically ill patients at unprecedented risk.

Over the August Heroes' weekend, reports say bouncers stormed the premises of Avenues Clinic to remove staff and management from Baines Imaging Group (BIG), the longtime provider of the facility’s radiology services. The hospital's management, operated under Medical Investments Limited, claimed the move was driven by a disputed arbitration award. However, BIG contends the action was taken without court orders rendering it both “illegal and dangerous.” The matter has since been reported to Harare Central Police under case number IR181907.

The shutdown has left a serious void in critical diagnostic services. For more than five working days, the radiology unit, essential for imaging-driven decisions from CT scans to emergency X-rays, remained offline under the pretext of “stock take and asset verification,” according to BIG. The group warned that this directly compromised urgent patient care and could lead to avoidable adverse patient outcomes.

With operations halted at the clinic’s facility, BIG scrambled to redirect services to its nearby 52 Baines Medical Centre branch. While the diversion ensures continuity, the shift is far from seamless—raising serious concerns about transport logistics, delays in emergencies, and extra costs for already burdened families.

Zimbabwe’s healthcare system has long been under strain. Decades of economic turmoil have depleted public health institutions of medicines, equipment, and suitably trained staff. Corruption and administrative failure have only deepened these cracks. As a result, many Zimbabweans either rely on expensive private providers or forgo care altogether. The closure of the Avenues Clinic radiology unit during a public holiday season is particularly troubling. Hero’s Day week saw higher-than-usual casualty cases, road accidents, sudden illnesses, and chronic flare-ups.

Media and patient advocacy groups are calling for urgent government intervention. The temporary shutdown of a healthcare department, especially one integral to diagnostics, is a humanitarian risk. One medical source, speaking anonymously, described the move as “reckless and unconscionable.” The Ministry of Health and Child Care has yet to issue a statement, but pressure is mounting both domestically and via social media channels.

At the core of the standoff lies a contested arbitration outcome. BIG asserts that Medical Investments Limited acted before securing any enforceable court orders. This, they argue, amounts to corporate overreach and possibly criminal conduct. The use of private security to evict medical professionals in a care setting is unprecedented in Zimbabwe. Media commentators and legal scholars say the case raises deeper questions. Can healthcare access be obstructed by private entities under civil dispute? Is there a place for forceful evictions in medical contexts? And in a nation where private healthcare often substitutes for weak public provision, what signals does this send?

Without swift corrective action, this conflict threatens to erode trust in Zimbabwe’s private healthcare institutions. For decades, private clinics like Avenues have been lifelines for those who could afford them. Now, procedural conflicts and aggressive tactics risk turning sanctuaries of care into battlegrounds of bureaucratic power.

As legal proceedings unfold and public outcry grows, one thing is clear, denying Zimbabwean patients timely access to crucial diagnostics is a scenario no law or arbitrator should tolerate.