By Judith Matanire
Cimas Health Group has renamed its Bulawayo Medical Centre after late medical pioneer Dr Sipho Leonard Vivian Zwana in recognition of his contribution to Zimbabwe’s healthcare sector.
The facility will now be known as the Sipho Zwana Medical Centre, following a ceremony attended by members of the Zwana family, healthcare professionals, civic leaders and Cimas officials.
Bulawayo Metropolitan Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, who officiated at the ceremony, said the renaming was meant to preserve Dr Zwana’s legacy while inspiring future generations of medical professionals.
She said Zimbabwe needed to continue recognising individuals whose work contributed to the development of the country’s health system.
Dr Zwana was born in 1933 at Tekwane Mission and qualified as a medical doctor from the University of Natal Medical School in 1960.
His career was marked by several historic milestones, including becoming the first black doctor allowed to work at Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo in 1961.
He later specialised in anaesthesia and obtained a Fellowship Diploma in Anaesthetics from the Royal College of Surgeons in 1970, becoming Zimbabwe’s first black anaesthetist.
Dr Zwana worked at a number of medical institutions locally and internationally, including hospitals in Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom, Ghana and Kenya.
Cimas chief executive officer Vuli Ndlovu said naming the medical centre after Dr Zwana placed a lasting responsibility on the organisation to protect and honour his legacy.
Cimas chief executive officer Vuli Ndlovu
He described Dr Zwana as one of eight black students who received government bursaries to study medicine in 1954, saying the group would later play an important role in the development of Zimbabwe’s medical profession.
Ndlovu said Dr Zwana’s choice of anaesthesia reflected a career built around service rather than recognition.
He noted that anaesthetists often work away from the spotlight despite carrying significant responsibility for patients during surgery.
Dr Zwana eventually returned to Zimbabwe after working abroad and spent a significant part of his career serving patients in Bulawayo.
He retired in December 2013 after 52 years in medicine and died in February 2019.
Ndlovu said the renaming was more than an honour, arguing that it would keep Dr Zwana’s story visible to patients, healthcare workers and future generations.
The Sipho Zwana Medical Centre now joins a small number of Zimbabwean healthcare institutions carrying the names of pioneering black medical practitioners.
Speakers at the ceremony said the new name should serve as a reminder of Dr Zwana’s contribution to breaking racial barriers in medicine and his decades-long commitment to patient care.
