The Second Republic will continue to modernise the health sector through investment in advanced equipment and infrastructure to guarantee timely emergency care for everyone, President Mnangagwa has said.
He made the remarks at the handover of 10 fully-equipped, state-of-the-art Toyota Land Cruiser ambulances to provincial referral health centres at State House yesterday.
The President said the Second Republic was committed to ensuring that every province had the necessary medical equipment to respond effectively to emergencies.
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"We are doing our best under the Second Republic to make sure we have the required equipment in the medical sector to attend to any emergencies across the board in every province," President Mnangagwa said.
"I understand this is the high-tech medical ambulance available on the market and we have it here in Zimbabwe," he said.
The state-of-the-art ambulances handed over yesterday are fitted with oxygen, delivery packs for pregnant women in transit, resuscitation equipment, masks, intravenous lines for drips, intravenous stands and trolleys among other essentials.
Also speaking at the handover, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora applauded President Mnangagwa and said the ambulances would go a long way in transporting and providing emergency care to patients, even those in the remote parts of the country.
"The ambulance is fully equipped with all the equipment needed in an emergence room. The ambulance is fitted with oxygen tubes, equipment to monitor hypertension and diabetes," Dr Mombeshora said.
"This means that even critically-ill patients can be transported from one place to the other. This is a very important and unique. Thank you very much Your Excellency."
The handover of ambulances aligns with the Presidential Hospital Refurbishment Programme, an initiative aimed at transforming Zimbabwe's public referral hospitals into modern facilities.
Projects under this programme include upgrades at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, where the maternity wing, nursing school and accommodation facilities are undergoing significant improvements.
The programme also involves partnerships with Belarus to enhance medical infrastructure and introduce advanced equipment, all aimed at achieving the Vision 2030 goal of an upper-middle-income society.
President Mnangagwa also handed over 10 vehicles and US$100 000 to provinces and these were received by ZANU PF provincial chairpersons.
Speaking after the handover, Zanu PF Bulawayo Metropolitan chairperson, Cde Jabulani Sibanda, said the ambulances and vehicles will be used to enhance and ensure continuity to the various projects being spearheaded by President Mnangagwa.
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"The gesture enables the Government to continue working for the socio-economic development of the country," he said.
"The ambulances, vehicles and cash handed over today will ensure the work that President Mnangagwa has been doing continues."
ZANU PF Mashonaland West provincial chairperson Cde Mary Mliswa-Chikoka said the gesture will ensure that no place and no one is left behind.
The 10 state-of-the-art ambulances, 10 vehicles and US$100 000 cash handed over to the country's 10 provinces were donated by businessman and philanthropist, Wicknell Chivhayo, to celebrate President Mnangagwa's 83rd birthday.
Each ambulance, worth US$90 000, is set to bolster healthcare delivery across the country.
Announcing the pledge on his X account, Mr Chivayo linked the donation to President Mnangagwa's 83rd birthday, describing it as a tribute to the leader's vision.
He said the ambulances, equipped for critical care, would help ensure patients in provincial hospitals receive swift and essential medical attention.
"I am delighted to commit to donating these ambulances, which I humbly request be allocated to the general hospital in each provincial capital," Mr Chivayo wrote.
"This gesture is a way to honour President Mnangagwa's exceptional leadership and his dedication to the nation."
