Stanbic Bank has handed over two haemodialysis machines worth US$50 000 to Marondera Provincial Hospital in Mashonaland East expected to ease the burden faced by renal patients within the province.
Prior to this, the hospital only had two haemodialysis machines and was only servicing a maximum of 6 patients per day due to limited capacity yet there are currently 14 patients in need of treatment across the province.
The machines are advanced medical equipment used for blood purification in patients with kidney problems and are set to make a lasting impact on the hospital’s ability to provide life-saving treatments.
Speaking at the handover ceremony at the hospital this morning, Stanbic Bank chief executive Solomon Nyanhongo said the haemodialysis machines will not only improve the quality of life of patients but will see the number of patients receiving treatment increase significantly.
“We are not only focused on financial transactions for earnings but we are determined to ensure that the wellbeing of communities we serve is taken care of,” said Nyanhongo.
The decision to donate Haemodialysis machines came about after a visit by the bank’s officials in September last year to assess the needs of the hospital.
“Our needs assessment coupled with the passion to serve patients shown by the Marondera Hospital team during the visit in September last year left a lasting impression on us. There was a consensus that we needed to contribute through life changing equipment, and this saw us settle on buying the haemodialysis machines,” said Nyanhongo.
Marondera Hospital’s Renal Unit department was opened in March 2018 with 3 machines that were donated by the government of China.
Like most of the publicly owned health centres across the country, the institution has not received adequate support from government due to limited resources.
The facility experiences challenges of erratic water supply and power outages, which occasionally force the nursing staff to turn away patients who require renal therapy.
“This donation is vital to the hospital as it increases capacity to provide dialysis to the entire province and not just Marondera community,” said Marondera Provincial Hospital acting Provincial Medical Director, Dr Michelle Gadzai.
Mashonaland east province has an estimated population of 2 million people and largely relies on Marondera for major treatment.
