HARARE – Sakunda Holdings has donated US$2.6 million equipment and the Arundel Hospital to Government for use in the fight against COVID-19. This comes as the number of people contracting the disease is increasing with the latest figures showing that cases have risen to 28 with four deaths and two recoveries.
Sakunda handed over the donation to President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House this Thursday in the presence of some members of the national COVID-19 taskforce. The company also revealed that it was going to pay the 55 medical personnel to man Arundel Hospital for the next six months.
Sakunda recently spruced up the medical facility which had been lying idle for many years.
The facility will be open to every Zimbabwean at no cost.
“Sakunda Holdings and its associates came up with a private initiative to compliment government efforts to curb this pandemic specifically in the provision of health facilities, equipment, training and vaccines. The equipment being donated today include PPEs, 15 emergency ventilators, 40 portable ventilators, 35 thousand rapid testing kits, among others all worth USD2.6 million,” said Sakunda Holdings Chief Executive Officer Kudakwashe Tagwirei in a statement.
Sakunda Holdings further donated Arundel Hospital for use by the government of Zimbabwe as a COVID-19 centre.
“The facility will be accessible to every Zimbabwean at no cost. To ensure operationalisation of the hospital, 55 medical professionals have been employed and their salaries for six months have been provided. Renovations, equipment installed and running costs at the hospital have cost Sakunda about USD 2.8 million.
“Five emergency ventilators, 10 protable ventilators, 3 portable ultra sound scan, 2200 rapid testing kits, 1350 protective suits among other equipment have been installed at the hospital,” said Tagwirei.
Besides what has been donated to government, Sakunda has another consignment which is in transit from China which include, PPEs, 41 ICU ventilators, 41 ventilator monitors, 10 oxygen concentrators and 20 beds.
Sakunda’s partners are also donating 300 000 litres of fuel, thus 50 000 litres monthly for the next six months, 1800 tonnes of maize to the government to assist in the national COVID-19 response.
Sakunda Holdings is also facilitating a ZWL30 million grant, at ZWL5 million monthly for six months which will be available to universities of Government choice for research and development in the area of COVID-19.
Receiving the donations, President Emmerson Mnangagwa heaped praises on Sakunda saying the firm had made a lot of contribution in developing the country. He even likened Tagwirei to the biblical Peter for his efforts.
“I want you all to know, that we accept with similar gratitude whatever you have brought but of course, even Jesus had twelve desciples but we all know he had more favour towards Peter,” President Mnangagwa said.
“I don’t know the reason but maybe Peter quickly understood Jesus more than the others. I am saying so because I have a list of what Sakunda has done. And its quite a lot in the volumes of the things that we need. I feel comfortable because we are now able to equip front line workers in the ministry of health in terms of Personal Protective Equipment,”
