Southlea Hospital Marks 5th Anniversary with Free Surgical & Healthcare Outreach

Southerton Business Times

2 hours ago

2 min read

By Valerie Mpundu

Managing Director and Chief Surgeon Dr. Eliot Freddy Chikati of Southlea Hospital in Harare South, a practitioner who has transformed countless lives across the community, says the facility’s core vision is to heal the nation through localized, self-reliant healthcare solutions.

"The vision was very clear and simple: ensuring access to healthcare services for the generality of our people, and low-income earners in particular," Dr. Chikati said during the hospital's fifth-anniversary medical outreach.

"All this we are doing is in line with the vision of President His Excellency Cde E.D. Mnangagwa, who says we build our own nation ' Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo'," he noted. "Domestic productive capacity and local solutions go a long way in serving the community and saving lives. That is what we do, and that gives us a sense of purpose."

Bridging the Healthcare Gap Through Free Medical Expos

Despite offering subsidised rates year-round, Southlea Hospital recognized that many local families still struggled to cover basic medical bills. In response, the institution established periodic open days to provide 100% free comprehensive care.

Free services provided during the 5th-anniversary medical expo included:

Diagnostic & Clinical Services: Free consultations, laboratory testing, X-rays, ultrasound scans, and mental health counseling.
Treatment & Rehabilitation: Free dispensary medicines, physiotherapy sessions, and minor-to-major surgical operations.

Throughout the anniversary week, the surgical team focused on critical, long-standing cases—predominantly neglected bone fractures and joint conditions.

"A case in point is a 13-year-old boy who came all the way from Muzarabani after being bedridden for more than six weeks," Dr. Chikati explained. "We operated on him and gave him a new chance at walking again."

Expanding Scale and Targeted Outreach

The outreach program continues to grow in scale each year:

Patient Volume: After treating 778 patients in a single day during last year's event, the hospital expanded its medical team to over 10 doctors on site to accommodate an even larger crowd.
Specialized Care for Albinism: Three weeks prior to the anniversary event, Southlea Hospital hosted a dedicated skin-health drive for persons with albinism. Dermatologists provided consultations, skin care lotions, protective medications, and surgical excisions for potentially cancerous skin lesions.

Community Partnerships and SDG Alignment

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Hospital Administrator and Coordinator T. Manyangadze commended the corporate partners and healthcare suppliers who made the outreach possible.

"We couldn't have done this without assistance from our service providers," Manyangadze said. "In line with Sustainable Development Goal 3 on health and well-being, we are emulating what the President encourages—moving forward brick by brick. Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, varwere vanorapwa nanachiremba vavo, tisu vene venyika [A nation is built by its owners, the sick are healed by their own doctors, we are the owners of the nation]."

Operating under this year's theme, "Transforming Community Health," Southlea Hospital has also launched a mobile clinic initiative to extend free medical care beyond Southlea Park into surrounding rural and peri-urban districts.