First Lady donates medical equipment
FIRST LADY Auxillia Mnangagwa has donated medical equipment for dental, cataract and disability rehabilitation to the health sector.
Officially handing over the equipment to the Ministry of Health and Child Care at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare recently, the First Lady said the equipment, which included dental treatment units, cataract surgery kits, and an assortment of items for rehabilitation such as wheelchairs and walkers was sourced through her organisation, Angel of Hope Foundation.
“Today, I have joy in handing over various medical equipment, which I have sourced through Angel of Hope Foundation,” she said.
“Allow me to tell you that amongst the things that I have brought, I have dental treatment units, they are eight. I have cataracts surgery kits for 2 000 patients and I have an assortment of items for use in rehabilitation — wheelchairs, walkers and backpads.”
She said some of the items were not yet joined as they came in pieces.
The First Lady said she hoped that the Ministry of Health and Child Care would give some of the rehabilitation equipment to the disability community through Senator Joshua Malinga.
Senator Malinga is the advisor to the President on disability issues.
“I know this equipment will make a difference in three divisions of our healthcare system, namely the dental, eye care and disability and rehabilitation sections,” said the First Lady.
Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo applauded the First Lady for the donation, saying it will go a long way in assisting patients seeking dental, cataracts and rehabilitation of disability services.
He said the equipment will be distributed to all referral hospitals in the country.
Dr Moyo said his ministry wanted the First Lady to be patron of the whole health sector.
She is ambassador for maternal and child health at the moment.
Dr Moyo said by donating rehabilitation assortments for the disabled, cataracts surgery kits and dental units, the First Lady was no longer assisting on maternal and child health issues, but the health sector as a whole.
He said the First Lady, who earlier on toured Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals’ units for preterm babies, also pledged to source incubators for the hospital.
“When we went to the premature babies unit, she was told that there was also a shortage of incubators and she promised to go and look into it,” said Dr Moyo.
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals chief executive officer Mr Thomas Zigora thanked the First Lady for the donation, saying medical equipment was expensive, yet Angel of Hope Foundation saw it fit to assist health institutions.