By Tichaona Katsvamutima
Fresh details have emerged on how Zimbabwe pulled off its first bone marrow transplant, with about US$2 million worth of medical equipment provided by the National AIDS Council (NAC) helping build the specialised infrastructure that made the landmark procedure possible at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
The development provides a clearer picture of what was behind the historic transplant performed on 55-year-old multiple myeloma patient Clifford Munemo, who previously would have had to seek the highly specialised procedure outside Zimbabwe.
For Munemo, however, the breakthrough was not only medical. It dramatically reduced the financial burden his family could have faced seeking the procedure abroad, where bone marrow transplants can cost tens of thousands of United States dollars.
While he had not yet received or calculated his final statement, Munemo said the cost of undergoing the procedure locally was substantially lower than figures associated with treatment outside Zimbabwe.
“It was nowhere near US$23 000, neither US$40 000. It was way cheaper,” Munemo said, adding that medical insurer PSMAS covered nearly the entire expense.
His journey to Zimbabwe’s first bone marrow transplant began nearly two years earlier.
Munemo said he developed severe back pain in October 2024 while driving from Marondera, with his condition deteriorating rapidly before he reached West End Hospital.
“I only managed to drive to West End Hospital and immediately became paralysed. I could no longer walk and was put on the wheelchair,” he recalled.
Tests subsequently confirmed multiple myeloma, a cancer that develops in plasma cells in the bone marrow.
Munemo was referred to Dr Chatambudza at Parirenyatwa for specialist treatment and, following targeted systemic therapy, recovered sufficiently to walk again by early 2025.
But the reprieve was temporary.
During a routine follow-up in June this year, medical assessments showed that the cancer had become aggressive, leaving a stem cell transplant as his definitive treatment option.
He was admitted to Parirenyatwa on August 5 to begin the procedure, eventually becoming the first patient to undergo a bone marrow transplant in Zimbabwe.
As he prepared to leave hospital following the procedure, Munemo expressed confidence about his recovery and gratitude to the medical team that treated him.
“I am feeling positive that I am now okay,” he said.
“I don’t know how to thank Dr Chatambudza and his team because even money is not enough.”
Behind the medical team’s work was specialised diagnostic, laboratory and blood-processing infrastructure at Parirenyatwa, including equipment provided through the National AIDS Council.
NAC has invested about US$2 million in equipment at the country’s largest referral hospital, with infrastructure initially developed around Zimbabwe’s HIV response now also supporting oncology, haematology, kidney care and other specialised services.
Among the technologies is nucleic acid testing, which strengthens the screening of donated blood for infections and improves the safety of blood products required during complex medical procedures.
The investment has also supported dialysis, automated diagnostics and blood-banking services at Parirenyatwa, illustrating how infrastructure developed through the country’s HIV response is increasingly being deployed across other areas of specialised healthcare.
Munemo’s successful procedure could now provide a pathway for other eligible Zimbabweans with blood cancers and related conditions who previously faced travelling abroad for treatment.
However, the country’s first successful transplant also raises the next critical question: whether the achievement can be transformed into a sustainable and affordable programme capable of treating more patients.
For Munemo, the immediate significance is more personal.
A medical journey that began with sudden paralysis in October 2024 and later an aggressive cancer diagnosis has ended with him preparing to leave a Zimbabwean hospital after receiving a procedure that, until now, patients had to cross the country’s borders to access.
