Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Spine and Brain Surgery Centre provides neurosurgical care at 8 Angus Close, Avondale, Harare; 4 Borrowdale Lane, Borrowdale, Harare; and Midlands Private Hospital, 8766 Gymkhana Grounds, Gweru.

We are responsible for the information described here. To ask about your information, contact us at sbs@spineandbrainsurgery.co.zw or +263 77 547 2744.

2. What we collect

• When you contact us or book (phone, email or WhatsApp): your name, phone number, email, preferred location, and whatever you tell us about your condition.
• When you ask for a second opinion: your MRI, CT or X-ray images, reports, referral letters and medical history.
• When you attend the Centre: identity and contact details, next of kin, medical history, examination findings, test results, treatment records, and medical aid or payment details.
• When you browse this website: basic technical information such as the pages visited and the type of device. This does not identify you by name.

3. Why we use it

• To reply to you and arrange appointments.
• To assess, diagnose and treat you, and to give second opinions.
• To communicate with the doctors and hospitals involved in your care.
• To process payments and medical aid claims.
• To send appointment reminders and follow-up messages.
• To meet our legal and professional duties, including keeping medical records.
• To improve our services and this website, using information that does not identify you.

4. Health information and consent

Health information is sensitive personal information. We use it only with your consent, or where the law allows or requires it, for example to provide care in an emergency. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us. Withdrawing consent does not affect care already given, and we may still need to keep records the law requires us to keep.

5. Children

For patients under 18, we ask a parent or legal guardian to give consent and to provide the child’s information.

6. Who we share it with

We never sell your information. We share it only when needed:

• Your care team: the hospitals where you are treated, anaesthetists, radiology and laboratory services, and your referring doctor.
• Your medical aid or insurer, to authorise and claim for treatment, with your consent.
• Service providers that work for us under confidentiality terms, such as website hosting, email and messaging.
• Authorities, where the law requires it.

7. Information stored outside Zimbabwe

Some of our service providers store information on servers in other countries. Where this happens we take reasonable steps to make sure it is protected to a standard comparable to Zimbabwean law.

8. WhatsApp, email and video calls

Many patients prefer to reach us on WhatsApp. WhatsApp, email and video-call services are operated by third parties under their own privacy terms. Please do not send more medical detail than you are comfortable sharing, and share scans in the way our staff advise.

9. Cookies and analytics

This website uses a small number of cookies needed for it to work. We also use Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages are useful. It does not tell us who you are, and we do not send it any information you type into our forms. You can refuse cookies in your browser settings.

10. How long we keep it

We keep enquiries only for as long as needed to respond to you. Medical records are kept for as long as the law and professional rules require, and are then securely destroyed.

11. How we protect it

Access to patient records is limited to staff who need it for your care. We use password protection, encrypted connections on this website, secure storage and staff training. If a breach puts your information at risk, we will tell you and the regulator as the law requires.

12. Patient stories, photographs and videos

We publish a patient’s story, photograph or video only with that patient’s written consent, which can be withdrawn at any time.

13. Your rights

You may ask us to:

• tell you what information we hold about you and give you a copy;
• correct information that is wrong or out of date;
• delete information we no longer need or are not required to keep;
• stop using your information for a particular purpose, such as reminders.

To do any of these, contact us using the details in section 1. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you may complain to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), which is the national Data Protection Authority.

14. Changes to this policy

We will post any changes on this page with a new date.