BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
In a groundbreaking initiative, Samp Group has partnered ZimSmart Villages in a healthcare investment which will see the establishment of 150 telehealth units across the country.
The Samp ZimSmart Villages initiative, will provide the much needed healthcare to millions of Zimbabweans, majority of them who live in the rural areas where services are scarce or sometimes nonexistent.
According to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), “telehealth is broadly defined as the use of communication technologies to provide health care at a distance.”
It is further revealed that “telehealth has become a valuable tool thanks to combined advances in communications, computer science, informatics, and medical technologies.”
Speaking at a press conference last Saturday to mark their partnership, Dr Admore Jokwiro, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of ZimSmart Villages said The Samp ZimSmart Villages initiative will help improve healthcare access.
Dr Jokwiro said the current “doctor to population ratio in the country stands at 1:5000 people, hence this partnership will improve that not in terms of numbers, but in terms of hours and efficiency.”
He further revealed that, “this partnership sees ZimSmart Villages joining hands with the Samp Group to establish a new entity called Samp ZimSmart Villages and this entity will be democratizing access to health care by establishing 150 telehealth units.
“So the Samp Group is bringing in funding for the establishment of these 150 units and ZimSmart Villages is implementing, providing the telehealth service, coordinating, managing the electronic health systems; the clinical care, ZimSmart will be providing that.
“The Samp Group is going to establish the kiosk and also bring in medicines and bring in world class equipment for the telehealth kiosk,” said Dr Jokwiro.
He further revealed that what they have built and what they are building is something that is very important for the people of Zimbabwe, as the current statistics show that health access is quite low.
Dr Jokwiro also paid tribute to the Samp Group saying, “what you have done and what you are doing for our people is something that means a lot to us and in return we want to improve health outcomes.
“We want our impact and our footprints to be able to increase life expectancy in Zimbabwe; that’s the only way we are able to repay the investment that you are bringing to Zimbabwe.”
Founder and Chairman of Samp Group, Ritesh Patel said after coming in for their second season of the Zim Afro T10 cricket tournament, they had looked at something else they can do for Zimbabwe as the Samp Group.
Patel said they thought the telehealth concept perfectly fits in well with them.
He added that they would want to bring in latest equipment from the United States and also medicines from India and the US.
“We also want to provide medication which can be provided here at a lower cost and which will be able to help everyone.
“We really want to help out and the main reason behind this is I came from a community called BAPS community.
“So I really wanted to see what I can do on behalf of the community, to work something in Zimbabwe.
“The BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu organisation has always believed in serving society.
“In fact Guru Pramukh Swami Maharaj started BAPS Charities that provides medical, education, humanitarian, environmental and many other forms of outstanding care around the world, including Africa.
“My family and I have a strong belief in BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Sanstha. With the blessings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Guru Hari Pramukh Swami Maharaj, and current Guru Hari Mahant Swami, Maharaj; we have taken this noble initiative to serve the people of Zimbabwe,” added Patel.
Postmaster General from the Zimbabwe Postal Service, Maxwell Chitendeni said through their partnership with ZimSmart Villages, they were ready to transform the nation, leaving no one and no place behind.
“Through our partnership with ZimSmart Villages, we are doing quite a lot by providing space as well as logistic services.
“We are happy that Samp has come along to assist, to grow this vision which in my view is also going to transform the livelihoods and the citizenry of Zimbabwe.”
Tawanda Njerere, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer, ZimSmart Villages, said “this partnership that we are forging today is a great opportunity for both entities that have decided to come together to form a synergy around healthcare in Zimbabwe.
“One of our greatest ambitions as we were starting this project was for us to be able to position whichever product or service that we are offering to the populace at a global level.
“I mean the ambition has been to bring the best technology, to bring the best kind of research, to bring the best kind of evidence-based learning to the populace of Zimbabwe no matter where they are located, be it in rural areas, be it urban areas as a way of ensuring that the best service gets to the people.
“So this partnership that we are forging today allows us to do that,” said Njerere.
He added: “what it has basically done is that overnight because of the synergies that we are building with Samp, it has allowed us to position globally and act locally, so because of this, we are very much excited because the synergy is going to bring about expertise, is going to bring about medicines, it’s going to bring about access to advanced technology, all things that we have been looking forward to.
“This has really been part of our ambition.”
NEWSSPACE 