Story by Patience Nyagato
A local paediatric physiotherapist, Mr Precious Madzimbe has become the latest Zimbabwean to excel on the international stage after winning a research competition that was part of the World Physiotherapy Congress in Dubai.
The Bulawayo-based paediatric specialist was recognised for coming up with a cutting-edge medical research paper on paediatric physiotherapy.
Madzimbe, who returned home this Thursday, was honoured for his research on growth and development delays in children and risk factors associated with such situations.
“I am so excited for getting this recognition at the World Physiotherapy Congress held in Dubai. I conducted the research here in Zimbabwe in Bulawayo where I work as a civil servant and I believe such researches are important as they are based on our population,” said Madzimbe.
“World Physiotherapy (WP) is the largest physiotherapy organisation in the whole world established in 1951 as the World Confederation of Physiotherapists. It used to hold its world congresses once every four years, now it’s now being held every 2 years. It comprises different specialised areas such as paediatrics, cardiorespiratory, neurology etc. At its congress, physiotherapy research is submitted from all over the world and they compete in categories according to speciality. This year, I participated at the congress with my research paper I did in Bulawayo and was ranked number one in its category. Only the first positions in each category receive an award,” he added.
“The research was part of my Master’s degree in Physiotherapy which was awarded a distinction at the University of the Witwatersrand and the findings of the research will guide health policies in Zimbabwe and improve care. I just feel honoured to receive such an award, a testament that Zimbabwe is moving forward in medical research, science and innovation.”
An expert in the field, Mr Madiki Machikicho is convinced research of this nature will help improve the country’s medical landscape.
“Research greatly improved our medical landscape in Zimbabwe. Our skills are up there for international best practice. However, we are most of the time adopting research that is formulated elsewhere and not from the perspective of Zimbabwe. So, there is a need to have research specific to our resources. In that way, we will see that research will give us facts and methods to improve our best practice,” said Mr Machikicho.
The World Physiotherapy Congress was aimed at enhancing physiotherapy service provision as part of the World Health Organisation’s thrust to ensure universal health coverage across the globe.
