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Dr. Allan Nhapi, a Zimbabwean medical doctor based in Australia is spearheading the development of a state-of-the-art hospital in the majestic Victoria Falls City.
Addressing journalists at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare soon after his arrival in the country from the United Arab Emirates where he participated at the 2020 Dubai Expo where he was given the green light to embark on the project by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in line with the country’s Vision 2030 and the ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ mantra, Dr. Nhapi said the hospital project will put Victoria Falls on the global map as a world-class city that offers an array of tourism products including medical tourism.
“I have chosen to develop a modern hospital in Victoria Falls that will offer specialist and general medical services for a number of reasons. Chief among them is the fact that Victoria Falls is one of the seven wonders of the world and a prime tourist attraction.
“As a medical professional based in the diaspora, I have seen it fit and imperative to invest back home. As individual experts and SMEs, we should take a leading role in developing our own country,” Dr. Nhapi said.
The medical practitioner said apart from general medical services, the hospital will offer an array of medical specialties and sub-specialties.
These will include allergy and immunology; anesthesiology; dermatology; diagnostic radiology; emergency medicine; family medicine; internal medicine; medical genetics; neurology; nuclear medicine; obstetrics and gynecology; ophthalmology; pathology; pediatrics; and radiation oncology, just to mention a few.
In response to this planned initiative, Shelley Cox, the Chief Executive of We are Victoria Falls, said such undertakings will position Victoria Falls for a big positive change.
She said as Victoria Falls enters a new phase of its development – planning for the new special economic zone, expanding the city for greater liveability for its residents – supporting the growth of smaller businesses and entrepreneurs within this next chapter is very important.
“Individuals and SMEs are the passionate heart of the city – the essential ingredients for place-making. They also have the capability to help a destination achieve the UNDP Sustainable Goals of 2030 through providing greater employment pools, reducing poverty, and allowing for inclusive growth.
“The Victoria Falls of the future needs a more diverse tourist mix if it is to better cope with source market risk, the imperative to be greener, and to fulfill its potential as a gateway to other destinations in Zimbabwe and the KAZA region. To do this – wider diversity of products is important, speaking to new markets at differing price points, with more varied itineraries and interests. Larger firms can also play a role here, but the character of the city will be driven by local people, their interactions, and their role in the sector,” Cox said.
She applauded Dr. Nhapi’s zeal to develop Victoria Falls, given the fact that there has been very limited support for individuals and SMEs.
“In many parts of the world, the fear that many smaller businesses will be eradicated as a result of the pandemic has caused governments to provide relief measures – intended to support the tourism community, and ensure they are there to help recover and build future resilience. This has been a challenge across much of Africa including Zimbabwe. The fact that President Mnangagwa is inviting individuals and SMEs to come to work towards the revival of the national economy is a welcome development,” Cox added.