Israel Dube, the Secretary General of the Surgical Society of Zimbabwe (SSZ) said this figure was a small number. There are only 47 surgeons in the country and this is a small number. However, we have other surgeons and doctors who are not part of us because they might be expatriates and therefore do not subscribe with us. There are also missionary doctors, then there are a few working elsewhere for other organisations sometimes in administration and not involved in operations. So the number of all surgeons working or involved in training in the country is not a big number.
Places such as Victoria Falls, Masvingo, Kwekwe and other small towns do not have surgical professionals hence their cases are referred to other cities. Even in these cities they have to be on waiting lists, he said. He said this meant more costs and delays for patients. Dube said this at a three-day College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa/Association of East Africa (COSECSA/ASEA) annual general meeting and scientific conference in Victoria Falls.