MUTARE- Stanbic bank donated a consignment of Protective Personal Equipment to the local municipality isolation centre, Mutare Infectious Disease Hospital (MIDH) now at sixty percent completion.
Municipality officials said Stanbic Bank’s gesture came at an opportune time where a multistakeholder approach is required to ensure the full operation of the isolation centre.
Town Clerk Joshua Maligwa said the donation by Stanbic bank to ensure protection of its frontline workers who are at risk of infection was timeous.
He revealed that the city needed support to fully equip the MIDH with internal equipment and materials.
“We still need further funding for the MIDH (Mutare Infectious Disease Hospital) project which is 60 percent in terms of completion as we still need to ensure that we buy all the internal equipment and materials for the hospital,” said Maligwa.
Stanbic bank donated 300 protective suits, 2250 surgical masks, 75 face shields, 450 N95 masks, 3000 gloves and 300 goggles.
Mutare Mayor Blessing Tandi appreciated the timely donation by the bank as the local authority has been reaching out to the private sector for assistance to complete the MIDH project.
He said the local authority was on high alert ever-since the first covid-19 positive cases were detected at qutantine centres in the city.
“Covid-19 impact is now on increase in the city following cases of returnees who were discovered to be positive. So it means we as a city need to be on high alert to ensure that our citizenry is safe and up the gear on preventive measures.
“Operations of council are actually now at peak especially now when we want to ensure that there is high and maximum protection of our citizens from covid-19 at the same time trying to ensure service delivery,” said Tandi.
Government disbursed $12 million to the City of Mutare towards the upgrading of the MIDH to help the facility meet standards of a covid-19 isolation centre. The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) Manicaland chapter through its members also contributed with cash and resources towards the refurbishment of the centre.
Tandi however said to fully transform the facility and equip it with relevant equipment for infectious disease control, more money was still needed as they have already exhausted the money from Government.
“We need more funds to construct a mortuary, incinerator and administration block,” he said.
Stanbic bank Mutare manager Lincoln Mhlanga said the donation is their appreciation of the role played by frontline workers to help combat the global pandemic in the country.
“There are many frontline workers and we appreciate their efforts, but today we are here to support the medical frontline workers who can in no way escape and avoid this war as they are the backbone of the survival of our people even in times when we are not in times of crisis…
“Our healthcare workers cannot function without the personal protective equipment and we appreciate the risk involved when discharging their duties,” said Mhlanga.
In other provinces Mhlanga said they have donated PPEs to Wilkins and St Annes Hospital in Harare, Gweru Provincial Hospital, Masvingo Provincial Hospital and Thorngrove Hospital in Bulawayo.
The bank is also in the process of drilling two boreholes, one in Cowdray Park in Bulawayo and the other in Glewn Norah C in Harare.
“As our teams go around the country handing over these goods, we would like to take the opportunity to applaud our healthcare workers and encourage them to keep the work going,” said Mhlanga.
