Dr. Rutendo Makoni

Dr. Rutendo Makoni is a consultant rheumatologist at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare — Zimbabwe's main university teaching hospital and one of sub-Saharan Africa's most established tertiary medical centres. With 12 years of combined internal medicine and rheumatology experience and specialist training at the University of Cape Town, she is one of Zimbabwe's few fully qualified rheumatologists, managing a diverse caseload that includes both common conditions — rheumatoid arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis — and presentations unique to the Zimbabwean context, particularly HIV-associated rheumatic disease. Zimbabwe has one of the world's highest HIV prevalences, and HIV-related musculoskeletal complications — reactive arthritis, HIV-associated arthropathy, and IRIS-related joint disease — represent a significant proportion of her referrals. She manages systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune diseases, gout, and metabolic bone disease, and is an active contributor to AFLAR's work on rheumatology capacity building in Africa.

Dr. Makoni obtained her MBChB and subsequently her MMed in Internal Medicine from the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences — Zimbabwe's national medical school. She then pursued rheumatology subspecialty training at the University of Cape Town through the African Rheumatology Medicine Advancement (ARMA) programme — a structured certificate programme specifically designed to train rheumatologists across sub-Saharan Africa. Her ARMA training covered inflammatory arthritis, connective tissue diseases, crystal arthropathies, and musculoskeletal ultrasound. She is a member of the African League Against Rheumatism (AFLAR) and participates in its annual congresses and capacity-building programmes for African rheumatologists.

Dr. Makoni manages the full spectrum of rheumatological conditions. Rheumatoid arthritis is her most common inflammatory arthritis diagnosis; she manages with conventional synthetic DMARDs (methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, leflunomide) and initiates biologic therapy when available. Systemic lupus erythematosus — particularly with renal and haematological involvement — is managed with hydroxychloroquine, steroids, and azathioprine or mycophenolate. HIV-associated rheumatic disease including reactive arthritis, undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy, and psoriatic arthritis in HIV-positive patients is an area of particular expertise. Gout management encompasses acute flare treatment and urate-lowering therapy. She performs joint aspiration for synovial fluid analysis and intra-articular injections, and interprets musculoskeletal ultrasound for inflammatory joint assessment and guided procedures.

Dr. Makoni consults in English, Shona, and Ndebele. Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals serves as a regional referral centre and accepts patients from across Zimbabwe and from neighbouring Zambia, Mozambique, and Malawi. International patients from Southern African countries travelling to Harare for rheumatological assessment can arrange appointments through the hospital's outpatient department. She advises international patients to bring blood work including ANA, anti-CCP, RF, uric acid, CRP, and ESR, along with any prior imaging or specialist correspondence. For complex cases requiring biologic therapy not available in Zimbabwe, she can advise on accessing treatment abroad.

Dr. Makoni is registered with the Medical Council of Zimbabwe and is a member of the Zimbabwe College of Medicine and the African League Against Rheumatism (AFLAR). She has been recognised by the University of Zimbabwe and Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals for her contributions to establishing a structured rheumatology service in Zimbabwe. She has presented research on SLE outcomes and HIV-associated arthritis in Zimbabwe at AFLAR and Southern African Rheumatology Association meetings. She mentors internal medicine residents in rheumatology and contributes to clinical training workshops for district hospital physicians on recognition and basic management of inflammatory arthritis.