First Lady’s Foundation signs huge deals in India
SCORES of Indian charity and business organisations yesterday stampeded to sign memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s Angel of Hope Foundation across various sectors including health, education and tourism.
Dr Mnangagwa is Zimbabwe’s health ambassador and patron for Environment, Tourism and Hospitality.
Struck by her humility, hands-on approach and hard work, the organisations could not miss an opportunity to have her append her signature to their documents.
One of the organisations, MySenior Doctor, was represented by its director Mrs Hema Agnihotri, who said she was keen to link Zimbabwean patients with super-specialist doctors from her country in a development expected to boost access to quality healthcare.
“I am more than delighted to have this MoU signed between India and Zimbabwe with the First Lady’s Angel of Hope Foundation. This medical facility does wonders. While sitting in Africa, a patient can connect with super-specialist doctors in hospitals in India. We have more than 1 000 doctors on the panel who work with big hospitals here in India,” she said with a wide smile.
“A patient in the remotest part of Africa can get a second opinion through consultation online, so we also take care of the patient with our group of doctors. This is medical tourism. I look forward to working together with Zimbabwean doctors and we can help them with the capacity of our knowledge. The First Lady’s presentation had a lot of emphasis on cervical cancer, so we have that horizon covered.”
This was corroborated by Dr Stephen Banda, the chief director of policy planning, health informatics and monitoring and evaluation in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, who is part of the First Lady’s entourage.
“I am part of the team which came with the First Lady, Dr Mnangagwa, who is our ambassador for health. We are delighted that MySenior Doctor, which is an Indian organisation, has expressed willingness to work with the Angel of Hope Foundation. As the Ministry of Health and Child Care, we will be there to give guidance on how they can implement what they have agreed in the MoU with Angel of Hope Foundation. As a ministry, we are also grateful that when they come to Zimbabwe, together with the Angel of Hope Foundation, they will be helping patients mainly in remote areas. In remote areas, for them to access certain medical services, it sometimes a challenge.
“As it is, we look forward to having MySenior Doctor come to Zimbabwe and then from there we see how best this can be implemented, and, as the Ministry of Health, we will be there 100 percent to make sure that we facilitate where possible. These programmes must be achieved,” he said.
Dr Banda praised the First Lady for her interventions, which he said stood to benefit the country in a very big way.
“Amai has played a very important role where she is actually looking for support coming to Zimbabwe, especially on health services, like what she has done, which is remarkable, and we commend that. Let God give her more and more strength so that we can garner more support to help Zimbabweans who are out there who need assistance,” he said.
Dr Aishwarya Mahajan, president of M3M Foundation, said he could not wait to work closely with Dr Mnangagwa.
“M3M Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the listed group 3M Group of India and we have been working in India, especially on the issues related to education, health, livelihood and environmental conservation.
“We have been instrumental in supporting especially children and women, and this is where we wish to work with the Angel of Hope Foundation. When we see the kind of work Angel of Hope Foundation is doing in Zimbabwe, I see there is a kind of similar vision of Her Excellency and we see that the resources, the knowledge, the learnings which we have here can be exchanged and be taken for the betterment of the communities. We are happy that we have signed an MoU with the First Lady, Dr Mnangagwa,” he said.
Mr Bharat K Bhramar, chairperson of Miss India Worldwide and Haut.Monde Hotels, who is also into tourism, was similarly hunting for the First Lady’s signature.
They are into pageantry and intend to hold it in Zimbabwe through the First Lady, who is the Environment and Tourism patron.
“We promote different countries with our contestants and there are many countries where we have done this for the benefit of the tourism sector,” he said.
Mr Manindra Jain, the managing director of M.K Group, said he was keen to visit Zimbabwe and contribute to the President’s Zimbabwe is Open for Business initiative.
“Already we are doing these things in Tanzania, Uganda, UAE, the Arabia, so we hope that today’s meeting with Her Excellency will pave the way for us. We are delighted to meet her and she invited us to Zimbabwe also. It is a good opportunity for both our countries, India and Zimbabwe, as we can grow. We belong to a community which does a lot of donations, so we can do something for the less privileged in Zimbabwe,” he said emphatically.
After appending her signatures to the MoUs, the First Lady indicated her willingness to work with everyone for the benefit of the country’s citizenry.
“As the Ambassador of Health in Zimbabwe, I would like to thank you very much for all that you have brought to Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Health and Child Care and also our doctors to get to learn, and bringing your doctors to our country. It is going to enhance our people’s livelihoods and through the Angel of Hope Foundation,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa urged the Indian firms to invest in the country, saying Zimbabwe was open for business.