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Flora Fadzai Sibanda, [email protected] 

FOR the past 19 years Mrs Esnea Mwale’s 19-year-old son has been using a wheelchair after developing a bone problem when he was a few months old.

Yesterday Mrs Mwale shed tears of joy as she watched doctors wheeling her son out of the theatre at the Cure Children’s Hospital in Bulawayo after they performed a life-changing operation on him which will enable him to walk.

Her son is one of the 15 patients who benefited from the US$22 500 Stanbic Bank grant extended to Cure Hospital to conduct surgeries on patients with correctable diseases.

Mrs Mwale said when her son was born, both his legs were functioning properly. A few months later, he developed a condition that affected his legs and he could not stand on his own without being supported.

He was ultimately forced to use a wheelchair.

“It was not an easy journey for me because I am a single parent following the death of my husband.

He is my only child and I have been taking him to the hospital until I stopped due to lack of funds,” said Mrs Mwale.

She said she later resorted to visiting different traditional healers and prophets with the hope that they could assist her son.

Ms Mwale said two years ago a friend told her about Cure Hospital, which had just opened its doors.

She said her son had his first operation last year at the hospital. However, the major surgery procedure was done yesterday.

“I am really happy my son finally got the help he needed and he will now be able to walk without the aid of a wheelchair or crutches. To all mothers who are in a situation like mine, I urge you to visit Cure Hospital to get the necessary help,” said Mrs Mwale.

Ms Gladys Ncube (73) of Njube suburb, said her only granddaughter could not walk after she fell from a tree at their rural home in Matopo last year.

She said she was lucky after a local hospital referred her to Cure Hospital where her granddaughter is being operated on.

“She is still in surgery but she should be out after a few hours from now. I was sceptical at first about the operation as people often say once a person is put to sleep, they are likely not to regain consciousness,” said Ms Ncube.

With tears of joy streaming down her face Ms Nonhlanhla Moyo held her 13-year-old daughter’s hand soon after coming out of the operation room.

The girl fell two years ago while on a visit in Esigodini. She was transferred to the United Bulawayo Hospitals.

“One of her bones had dislocated and was sticking out. I have never been as heartbroken as I was on that particular day,” said Ms Moyo.

She said the doctors tried everything they could do but the pain persisted and she would cry each time she moved her leg.

Ms Moyo said her daughter’s leg has since been corrected and she is recovering.

Cure Hospital is Zimbabwe’s first free paediatric orthopaedic hospital, which opened its doors in January 2021 and was fully licensed to operate a month later. 

It is the only hospital in the country that is offering free orthopaedic treatment to children under the age of 18 years. Cure Hospital in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care is attending to children with orthopaedic disabilities such as clubfoot, knock-knees, bowed legs and broken bones.

In 2020, Cure International, a Christian non-governmental organisation joined the Zimbabwe Orthopaedic Trust to establish the Cure Children’s Hospital of Zimbabwe which specialises in the treatment and care of children with physical disabilities.

The $5 million hospital was built and refurbished by the trust in partnership with Government and has 42 beds.

Statistics show that more than 370 000 children in Zimbabwe are living with treatable conditions such as neglected club-foot, bowed legs and knock knees. — @flora_sibanda