By Zachary Gava
Harare, (New Ziana) – Vice President Colonel (Retired) Kembo Mohadi has challenged newly qualified obstetricians and gynaecologists from the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ECSACOG) to use their expertise to save the lives of women and newborns.
He made the remarks on Wednesday when he presided over the inaugural graduation ceremony of the ECSACOG in Harare.
A total of 19 specialists graduated from the college’s inaugural cohort, marking a major milestone in regional efforts to strengthen specialist capacity in maternal and reproductive healthcare.
Twelve of the graduates are Zimbabweans, while the remainder were drawn from countries across the region and beyond, including Eswatini, Zambia, Mozambique, South Sudan and Rwanda, among others.
VP Mohadi said the graduation represented the fulfilment of a regional vision that began almost a decade ago to establish a dedicated institution capable of producing highly trained specialists for the region.
“Today we celebrate the fulfilment of a regional vision which began almost a decade ago when the resolve was made to establish a regional institution dedicated to strengthening specialist capacity in obstetrics and gynaecology. The vision has today become a reality,” he said.
He commended the ECSACOG leadership, faculty, partners and other stakeholders for transforming the vision into an institution that is now producing specialists capable of serving communities across Africa.
VP Mohadi said the development was consistent with the government of Zimbabwe philosophy of building institutions through investment in its own people and expertise, while strengthening regional partnerships.
“These 19 specialists are a practical demonstration of this work. We are building our region by investing in our people, developing our own expertise and strengthening our own institutions, complemented by partners across the region and beyond,” he said.
He said the graduation came at a critical time when African countries were striving to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes, noting that maternal mortality remains one of the clearest measures of the quality, accessibility and equity of health systems.
Zimbabwe has made significant progress in reducing maternal mortality, with the ratio falling from 651 deaths per 100 000 live births in 2015 to 212 in 2024, according to the 2023–24 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey.
However, VP Mohadi cautioned that the progress should not lead to complacency, as women and newborns across the East, Central and Southern African region continue to face preventable deaths resulting from complications during pregnancy and childbirth, delayed diagnosis and inadequate access to quality specialist care.
“We welcome this progress, but we must not become complacent. Across the East, Central and Southern Africa, too many women and newborns continue to die from conditions that are preventable, diagnosable and treatable when timely and quality care is available,” he said.
He said every maternal death was a loss not only to an individual family but to the wider community and the continent, adding that countries in the region should accelerate efforts to ensure that every woman, mother and newborn has access to quality healthcare regardless of where they live.
Against this background, Mohadi underscored the importance of investing in Africa’s health workforce, saying adequately trained and motivated health professionals were central to achieving universal health coverage, strengthening health security and advancing national development.
He said the Health Service Commission and other relevant institutions had an important role in ensuring that health workers were appropriately recruited, developed, employed and motivated to serve the needs of their communities.
VP Mohadi described the 19 graduates as much more than newly qualified specialists, saying their knowledge, skills and leadership represented an important addition to the region’s health workforce.
“These are not simply 19 new qualifications. They are 19 additional specialists whose knowledge, skills and leadership can save lives and strengthen our health systems,” he said.
He challenged the graduates to ensure that the considerable investment made in their training translated into tangible improvements in healthcare delivery.
“Our people need you here. By all means, learn from the world, collaborate with the world and participate in the global exchange of knowledge, but do not be too quick to leave while the women and children of your own communities are waiting for your best,” he said.
VP Mohadi urged the specialists to return the knowledge acquired through their training to their communities by teaching, mentoring and helping to build stronger institutions.
“Bring the knowledge home. Teach others. Build institutions. Strengthen our health systems. Save our mothers and children, and remember that home is always the best place to serve,” he said.
He also reminded the graduates that obstetrics and gynaecology was a profession that carried enormous responsibility, given that specialists often attend to women and families at some of the most profound and vulnerable moments of their lives, urging them to combine technical excellence with compassion, integrity and a strong sense of purpose.
“Let your expertise be measured by compassion, let your colleagues be guided by your knowledge, and let your professional conduct be anchored in purpose and integrity,” he said.
VP Mohadi challenged the new specialists to go beyond their clinical responsibilities and become mentors, teachers, advocates for women and children, and builders of stronger health systems.
“Never forget that behind every patient is a mother, a daughter, a wife or a loved one whose life matters. I challenge you, therefore, to be more than excellent specialists: be coaches, be mentors, be teachers, be advocates for women and children, and be builders of stronger health systems,” he said.
The inaugural graduation marks an important milestone for ECSACOG, which was established to provide collegiate postgraduate training in obstetrics and gynaecology across the East, Central and Southern African region, and is headquartered in Arusha, Tanzania, from where it has expanded its training network across several countries in the region.
The college says its mission is to improve reproductive healthcare by producing specialist obstetricians and gynaecologists while contributing to reductions in maternal and neonatal mortality through specialized, evidence-based care.
The 19 graduates therefore enter the profession at a pivotal moment for African healthcare, with their training expected to contribute to expanding specialist services, strengthening mentorship and improving the quality of care available to women and newborns across the region.
New Ziana
