Stanbic bank Zimbabwe hands over autoclaves worth $80 000 to four key health institutions countrywide

AWARD winning-financial services institution, Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe, has donated autoclaves worth a combined US$80 000 to four key health facilities throughout the country for the sterilisation of vital equipment and maintenance of higher standards of health control.
The Standard Bank Group subsidiary on Wednesday handed over one of the autoclaves valued at US$20 000.00 to Parirenyatwa Hospital as part of a broader donation to Sally Mugabe, Victoria Chitepo and Ingutsheni Hospitals.
Speaking during the handover at Parirenyatwa, Stanbic Bank chief executive, Mr Solomon Nyanhongo said the financial services institution recognized that a healthy nation is a productive nation hence its commitment to supporting public health institutions, especially those that serve the majority of Zimbabwean citizens.

“Through initiatives like this, we aim to contribute to the strengthening of healthcare infrastructure, enabling hospitals such as Parirenyatwa, Sally Mugabe, Victoria Chitepo and Ingutsheni to continue delivering high-quality care to the people of Zimbabwe,” said Mr Nyanhongo.
He said Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe is proud to play a part in uplifting healthcare in Zimbabwe and is committed to continue supporting public health and other critical sectors that enhance the well-being of the nation.
Receiving the machine, Parirenyatwa Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tsitsi Magure, said the donation was a priceless gesture whose contribution would go a long way in upholding high standards of health care at the facility.
She said the machine was a game changer in terms of achieving top level health control standards through the sterilisation of equipment and infection and germ control.

“We would like to express our profound gratitude to Stanbic Bank for the installation of the new autoclave and the renovation of the autoclave room and the wash up room in our laboratories. The large number of instruments and devices autoclaved by the laboratory daily makes the installation of a higher capacity autoclave of this kind a welcome gift and the donation could not have come at a better time,” said Dr Magure.
She said the autoclave can now cater for the sterilisation of all instruments and devices at one go unlike previously where the institution used a smaller autoclave, which covered only a fifth of what the new autoclave covers.
Dr Magure said the autoclave would not only improve the sterilisation of all reusable material but boost turnaround time as well as prevent cross contamination.

Mr Nyanhongo noted that Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals stands as the largest referral public hospital in Zimbabwe, with a capacity of 1,800 beds and a dedicated workforce exceeding 2,000 staff members.
“The health institutions that are receiving these machines are among the country’s largest referral hospitals and they play a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem, providing essential services to countless Zimbabweans and serving as beacons of medical excellence.
“It is a privilege for Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe to be partner with such a key pillars of Zimbabwe’s healthcare system,” he said.
The autoclave at Parirenyatwa has been installed in the laboratory section, where it will be used to sterilize essential equipment such as petri dishes and other laboratory tools, ensuring a higher standard of infection control and contributing to improved patient outcomes.
Stanbic Bank not only contributed an autoclave but refurbished the room in which it was placed by installing a new ceiling, new floor and tiles, new sinks and painting it.

Mr Nyanhongo said beyond Parirenyatwa, Stanbic Bank also placed an autoclave at Sally Mugabe Hospital, where it will be used in the paediatric wing, closely tied to their maternal healthcare.
“We understand the critical importance of sterile instrumentation in the paediatric wing of Sally Mugabe Hospital protecting mothers and their newborns. For the hospitals in Mutare and Bulawayo the autoclaves have been allocated to their operating theatres, where they will play a key role in ensuring the safe and effective sterilization of surgical instruments for critical procedures,” he said.
Mr Nyanhongo said among Stanbic Bank’s principal ESG strategic goals is health, water and sanitation, and education adding that the financial services institution had a “soft spot for health care delivery of the nation”.
Last year September 2023 – Stanbic Bank has donated two haemodialysis machines worth US$50 0000 to Marondera Hospital, in Mashonaland East Province, easing the burden faced by renal patients within the province. The bank in 2021 resuscitated a maternity operating theatre at Sally Mugabe Hospital as well as refurbished the recovery room at a cost of US$67 000.00.
In 2021, the first recipient of a Haemodialysis machine worth US15 000 was Gwanda Hospital, in Matabeleland South, as the bank saw it fit to alleviate the plight of patients who faced kidney failure. 2022 Stanbic handed over a Solar Powered Borehole to Mt St Mary’s Hospital in Hwedza.-chroncile