SOME medical doctors in Zimbabwe are referring patients with complicated illnesses to popular churches such as Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) and United Family International Church (UFIC) for divine healing.
Walter Magaya, the PHD founder, told the Weekend Post that his offices are always inundated by calls from leading medical professionals seeking to have their patients attended to.
Walter Magaya, the PHD founder, told the Weekend Post that his offices are always inundated with calls from leading medical professionals seeking to have their patients attended to by him.
Magaya said his church had developed a mutual relationship with several medical professionals to whom he also refers some of his congregants whose problems require more than spiritual healing.
“There are a lot of patients referred here by different doctors and we deliver them as some illnesses are spiritual,” said Magaya.
This came after several members of Magaya’s church confessed that they had been referred to the popular preacher by their doctors.
Tanyaradzwa Chimbinyu (18), who has suffered heart complications since he was aged nine, claimed he been referred to Magaya for spiritual deliverance.
Chimbinyu said Dr Gwinji had indicated to him on May 15 that his condition was so bad such that only divine intervention could save him.
“This letter serves to confirm that the above named (Tanyaradzwa Chimbinyu) has a heart condition known as Rheumatic Heart Disease that has necessitated monthly antibiotic injections since the age of nine years.
“Any assistance your ministry can render him is generally appreciated,” reads part of the letter addressed to Magaya signed by Gwinji seen by the Weekend Post.
Prime Kufa, the spokesperson for UFIC founder, Emmanuel Makandiwa, also said the popular preacher was also attending to patients who would have been referred to him by medical doctors on a regular basis.
Kufa said while his church did not keep records of the names of medical professionals who refer patients to Makandiwa, the number was significantly high.
“We have a lot of incidents where the prophet has received patients who would have been referred by doctors. I particularly recall one incident where the prophet attended to someone who said his doctor had informed him that his ailment was beyond his ability and that he needed to have a prayer from the man of God,” said Kufa.
David Parirenyatwa, the minister of Health and Child Care, yesterday told the Weekend Post that government recognised spiritual healers.
“We understand that human beings have their spiritual side which they must take care of. We understand that there is cross reference between them and our trained professionals,” said Parirenyatwa.
He, however, said where there is cross reference, government expects that spiritual healers would be playing the counselling role.
“We believe in the ability of our doctors in taking care of the physical, mental and sociological well being of our people so we expect their relationship with spiritual and registered traditional healers is such that both sides recognise their limitations”.
The prophets have become an instant hit among many
Zimbabweans who have lost faith in the country’s health delivery system that is plagued by incessant workers’ unrest as well as inadequate medication.
And the “men of God” have wasted no time in seizing the opportunity to grow their churches, promising their members that they had the power even to heal the deadly HIV complicated ailments.
In September last year, Miriam Chari, a PHD congregant, claimed that she had been cured of HIV after she was given anointing oil by Magaya.
According to Chari’s testimony, she tested HIV positive sometime in 2007 and had been on medication until she took the anointing oil.
Source: Weekend Post
Walter Magaya, the PHD founder, told the Weekend Post that his offices are always inundated by calls from leading medical professionals seeking to have their patients attended to.
Walter Magaya, the PHD founder, told the Weekend Post that his offices are always inundated with calls from leading medical professionals seeking to have their patients attended to by him.
 |
| Prophet Makandiwa in action |
“There are a lot of patients referred here by different doctors and we deliver them as some illnesses are spiritual,” said Magaya.
This came after several members of Magaya’s church confessed that they had been referred to the popular preacher by their doctors.
Tanyaradzwa Chimbinyu (18), who has suffered heart complications since he was aged nine, claimed he been referred to Magaya for spiritual deliverance.
Chimbinyu said Dr Gwinji had indicated to him on May 15 that his condition was so bad such that only divine intervention could save him.
“This letter serves to confirm that the above named (Tanyaradzwa Chimbinyu) has a heart condition known as Rheumatic Heart Disease that has necessitated monthly antibiotic injections since the age of nine years.
“Any assistance your ministry can render him is generally appreciated,” reads part of the letter addressed to Magaya signed by Gwinji seen by the Weekend Post.
Prime Kufa, the spokesperson for UFIC founder, Emmanuel Makandiwa, also said the popular preacher was also attending to patients who would have been referred to him by medical doctors on a regular basis.
Kufa said while his church did not keep records of the names of medical professionals who refer patients to Makandiwa, the number was significantly high.
“We have a lot of incidents where the prophet has received patients who would have been referred by doctors. I particularly recall one incident where the prophet attended to someone who said his doctor had informed him that his ailment was beyond his ability and that he needed to have a prayer from the man of God,” said Kufa.
David Parirenyatwa, the minister of Health and Child Care, yesterday told the Weekend Post that government recognised spiritual healers.
“We understand that human beings have their spiritual side which they must take care of. We understand that there is cross reference between them and our trained professionals,” said Parirenyatwa.
He, however, said where there is cross reference, government expects that spiritual healers would be playing the counselling role.
“We believe in the ability of our doctors in taking care of the physical, mental and sociological well being of our people so we expect their relationship with spiritual and registered traditional healers is such that both sides recognise their limitations”.
The prophets have become an instant hit among many
Zimbabweans who have lost faith in the country’s health delivery system that is plagued by incessant workers’ unrest as well as inadequate medication.
And the “men of God” have wasted no time in seizing the opportunity to grow their churches, promising their members that they had the power even to heal the deadly HIV complicated ailments.
In September last year, Miriam Chari, a PHD congregant, claimed that she had been cured of HIV after she was given anointing oil by Magaya.
According to Chari’s testimony, she tested HIV positive sometime in 2007 and had been on medication until she took the anointing oil.
Source: Weekend Post
