Russia and Zimbabwe to boost medical cooperation

Russia and Zimbabwe will strengthen their cooperation in a range of medical and healthcare areas, ministers from the two nations have said after holding talks in Moscow on Tuesday.  

Health Minister Mikhail Murashko welcomed his Zimbabwean counterpart, Douglas Mombeshora, to the Russian capital as the pair discussed the potential for cooperation in education, medicine, and the development of emergency care.   

Russian assistance in providing training to Zimbabwean medical personnel was highlighted as among the promising areas of bilateral cooperation, the Health Ministry in Moscow said in a press release. Over 100 Zimbabweans are currently studying medicine at Russian universities.   

The Zimbabwean delegation also visited the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Emergency Medicine, where they were given a tour of the newly built emergency center, the facility’s press service said. The guests also observed an air ambulance helicopter demonstration during their visit.   

“We are very impressed, including by the high level of personnel,” Mombeshora said after the tour, according to the press release. He added that he is keen to return to the institution with a delegation of practicing doctors from Zimbabwe to exchange experience with Russian colleagues.