HARARE – Financial service giant Old Mutual Zimbabwe Limited has offered a ZWL$2.2 billion life cover to frontline medical staff leading the fight against the coronavirus, ENN reports. The donation, which comes together with the provision of 500 personal protective equipment to Sally Mugabe hospital (formerly Harare Central hospital) and Thorngroove hospital in Bulawayo, has given a ray of hope to Zimbabweans in their fight against the global pandemic.
Old Mutual Zimbabwe has also partnered with Africa University to provide alcohol based sanitizers that meet international standards. Chinhoyi University of Technology has also been roped in to manufacture face masks as the financial behemoth takes the COVID-19 fight a gear up.
The interventions by Old Mutual come at a time Zimbabwe’s health practitioners were threatening to down tools in fear of their lives as personal protective equipment was in short supply.
Zimbabwe has widened its COVID-19 testing guidelines in line with the World Health Organisation’s approved guidelines, and the private sector has taken the lead in the country’s fight against the coronavirus.
In February 2020, global mining company Mimosa donated thermo detection equipment to capacitate our national entry points with COVID-19 detection capabilities. Chloride Zimbabwe and Skylake boreholes also chipped in with solar installations, borehole equipment and water tanks for Wilkins hospital.
Zimbabwe still needs more resources to capacitate itself with speedy testing, detection, tracking and isolation of COVID-19 suspects. For the elderly and vulnerable, food aid is urgently required to keep them nourished, in the process strengthening their immune systems as the country lockdown looks set to be extended to align to the rest of SADC countries.
