News / National
Over $29m mobilised for Zimbabwe cholera
20 Sep 2018 at 06:29hrs | Views
Government has so far mobilised $29 million out of $64,1 million required to fight cholera, amid indications that the outbreak has been contained with the number of patients visiting health institutions declining significantly from 500 to 100 per day.
Addressing a joint Press conference of Health and Child Care Officials and members from the private sector, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said of the $29 million, Government had contributed $15,1 million while development partners and the private sector had contributed $13,3 million.
He said resources mobilised to date were enough to cover the immediate requirement of $25,4 million to contain the outbreak. Prof Ncube said the funding gap stood at $35,1 million, $34,9 million for medium-term interventions and $3,7 million for long-term interventions.
"The private corporate sector, development and social partners, individuals including Zimbabweans in the diaspora are being called upon to provide both financial and non-financial assistance towards responding to the cholera outbreak," he said.
"The mid and long-term interventions include provision of adequate clean water by all water authorities, upgrading of water and sewer reticulation systems, re-designing and modernising of the water and sewer reticulation systems, addressing the problem of illegal and unserviced human settlement in urban areas and procurement and installation of critical infrastructure surveillance system by all municipal authorities."
The event saw more donations being made with the Premier Service Medical Investment (PSMI) donating $200 000 cash, Zimplats Holdings Limited providing antibiotics, 1350 litres of intravenous fluids, water treatment chemicals.
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) donated two road show vehicles, a seven tonne truck for collection of baked beans while its partners Total Zimbabwe donated 2000 litres of fuel, Forestry Commission and Allied Timbers 200 litres of fuel.
Other partners of EMA who donated included Eco Green Recycling Solutions, Skip-It Waste Management (PVT) Limited, Pre-paid Credit Facility with Rotary Club and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches mobilising its members to be volunteers.
Pharmaceutical wholesales Zimbabwe donated latex gloves, oral rehydration salts, linen savers and will distribute free water treatment tablets, while the Rainbow Tourism Group donated food for cholera patients and health workers.
Professor Ncube said Ecobank had also donated $200 000 while other donations came from National Foods and Southern Region Trading amid other donations still coming. He said in terms of mobilising individual donations and corporate donations through the idea of a crowd fund his Ministry had agreed with Econet to append the account details on Econet platform of Kanzatu-Kanzatu.
Questioned on how the funds will be secured, Professor Ncube said his ministry had a strong financial management system that appealed to international principles of public management.
Professor Ncube said the cholera crowd fund will be deposited in CBZ Account Number: 06621537300047. He said the Ecocash Biller Code is: 140286. Meanwhile the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro who was accompanied by the Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo said besides the decline, the death toll from Cholera has remained at 32 and close to 7 000 cases have been recorded. "We must say we are very grateful as a Ministry and nation that people have responded so positively and the fast and prompt response really showed that this was an emergency as was declared. The response was just a containment plan where we had to do our needs assessment and continue to do so.
'So far our outcome is that we have managed to contain the outbreak for now due to the interventions. We still have cases of people reporting but the curve is now going down which shows that our interventions are working. The numbers that are arriving at our camps are markedly reduced so it shows that things are much better. A lot of people were conscious and rushed to the centres for treatment. We hope to continue in this direction.
"We have set up treatment camps, our needs have been forwarded. We need to continue increasing the clean water supply that have been established. Sewer repairs are going on and must continue going on. Resource mobilisation is something that should continue because this disease Dr Mangwiro reiterated that personal hygiene was the best response in containing cholera calling on a Zimbabweans to change mind-set by reciting words such as cleanliness is next to godliness and Zimbabwe shall be clean again.
Addressing a joint Press conference of Health and Child Care Officials and members from the private sector, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said of the $29 million, Government had contributed $15,1 million while development partners and the private sector had contributed $13,3 million.
He said resources mobilised to date were enough to cover the immediate requirement of $25,4 million to contain the outbreak. Prof Ncube said the funding gap stood at $35,1 million, $34,9 million for medium-term interventions and $3,7 million for long-term interventions.
"The private corporate sector, development and social partners, individuals including Zimbabweans in the diaspora are being called upon to provide both financial and non-financial assistance towards responding to the cholera outbreak," he said.
"The mid and long-term interventions include provision of adequate clean water by all water authorities, upgrading of water and sewer reticulation systems, re-designing and modernising of the water and sewer reticulation systems, addressing the problem of illegal and unserviced human settlement in urban areas and procurement and installation of critical infrastructure surveillance system by all municipal authorities."
The event saw more donations being made with the Premier Service Medical Investment (PSMI) donating $200 000 cash, Zimplats Holdings Limited providing antibiotics, 1350 litres of intravenous fluids, water treatment chemicals.
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) donated two road show vehicles, a seven tonne truck for collection of baked beans while its partners Total Zimbabwe donated 2000 litres of fuel, Forestry Commission and Allied Timbers 200 litres of fuel.
Other partners of EMA who donated included Eco Green Recycling Solutions, Skip-It Waste Management (PVT) Limited, Pre-paid Credit Facility with Rotary Club and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches mobilising its members to be volunteers.
Pharmaceutical wholesales Zimbabwe donated latex gloves, oral rehydration salts, linen savers and will distribute free water treatment tablets, while the Rainbow Tourism Group donated food for cholera patients and health workers.
Professor Ncube said Ecobank had also donated $200 000 while other donations came from National Foods and Southern Region Trading amid other donations still coming. He said in terms of mobilising individual donations and corporate donations through the idea of a crowd fund his Ministry had agreed with Econet to append the account details on Econet platform of Kanzatu-Kanzatu.
Questioned on how the funds will be secured, Professor Ncube said his ministry had a strong financial management system that appealed to international principles of public management.
Professor Ncube said the cholera crowd fund will be deposited in CBZ Account Number: 06621537300047. He said the Ecocash Biller Code is: 140286. Meanwhile the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro who was accompanied by the Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo said besides the decline, the death toll from Cholera has remained at 32 and close to 7 000 cases have been recorded. "We must say we are very grateful as a Ministry and nation that people have responded so positively and the fast and prompt response really showed that this was an emergency as was declared. The response was just a containment plan where we had to do our needs assessment and continue to do so.
'So far our outcome is that we have managed to contain the outbreak for now due to the interventions. We still have cases of people reporting but the curve is now going down which shows that our interventions are working. The numbers that are arriving at our camps are markedly reduced so it shows that things are much better. A lot of people were conscious and rushed to the centres for treatment. We hope to continue in this direction.
"We have set up treatment camps, our needs have been forwarded. We need to continue increasing the clean water supply that have been established. Sewer repairs are going on and must continue going on. Resource mobilisation is something that should continue because this disease Dr Mangwiro reiterated that personal hygiene was the best response in containing cholera calling on a Zimbabweans to change mind-set by reciting words such as cleanliness is next to godliness and Zimbabwe shall be clean again.
Source - the herald
