TelOne and NetOne announced the setting up of a joint COVID 19 response support facility to the tune of ZWL$10million.
The two companies extended their business collaboration to establish a sustainable response plan which will benefit three public hospitals namely Sally Mugabe (formerly Harare Hospital), Beatrice Infectious Diseases, and Mpilo Hospitals.
Specific areas being funded are both for immediate COVID 19 response needs and long-term improvement in key areas as follows:
- Infrastructure Development through supporting the refurbishment and adoption of one ward at each of the hospitals.
- Medical Equipment including ICU and ward care beds, bedside lockers and other ward furniture as well as suction machines, oxygen tanks, nebulisers and patient monitors.
- Water reticulation through drilling and full installation of 3 boreholes at Sally Mugabe Hospital; 2 boreholes at Mpilo and 1 borehole at Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital.
- Consumables which include FFP2 masks, N95 masks, dromex goggles, medium duty aprons, chemical overalls, cotton disposable overalls, glass face screens and an assortment of sanitisers and disinfectants.
In a statement, the companies confirmed that all the consumables which are largely PPE, sanitisers and other disinfectants are already in place and ready for distribution to the selected facilities.
The drilling of all 3 boreholes has also been completed with the other 3 in progress. Meanwhile, refurbishment work is currently underway and should be finalized over the next few weeks, after which the new equipment will be delivered. The newly refurbished and fully equipped wards are expected to be unveiled and officially handed over by end of May 2020.
Further to the $10million dedicated to this project, the two institutions have also contributed immensely towards the successful setting up of the National COVID 19 Hotline and are bearing the cost of all calls from the public terminating on our networks. Under this initiative the 2 entities donated 20 toll free lines and the requisite equipment to the National Emergency Operations Response Centre. In addition, contributions were also made towards the setting up of an Information Dissemination Hotline 2023, to enable the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Call Centre set up.
“We are also pursuing innovations that we expect to ease communication while supporting the COVID 19 fight, which we hope to unveil in due course.
“We are committed to augmenting the Government’s efforts towards the mitigation of this global pandemic – that is affecting our nation. It takes a collective and multi-level effort from various stakeholders to develop a holistic intervention that will assist the country to effectively fight this invisible enemy. Together, we will certainly win this fight,” the joint statement said.
