Meat boost for Wilkins hospital 

Sunday Mail Reporter

ONE of the country’s largest referral centres for Covid-19 patients, Wilkins Infectious Disease Hospital, received a timely boost on Friday after beef producer Montana Carswell (MC Meats) donated meat vouchers for staff and patients, and pledged to continue assisting the institution.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Wilkins Hospital clinical medical officer Dr Wilson Marikopo thanked MC Meats for the “timely donation”.

“The gesture by MC Meats shows us that we are not alone in the fight against Covid-19. Most of the donations we have received were personal protective equipment. This kind of donation will cover a big gap that the City of Harare has been failing to cover due to cash constraints,” he said.

Dr Marikopo called for the corporate world to assist health institutions with similar non-monetary benefits that can boost the morale of staff and patients during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This donation and partnership with MC Meats will help in rejuvenating our staff and this will also be further reflected on how we care for our patients. It’s not just about monetary incentives all the time, but these tokens go a long way in motivating our staff. The morale has been very low within our staff members but I am sure this will boost their morale,” he said.

MC Meats head of processing and de-boning Mr Darlington Matinyarare said the donation would provide relief to patients and motivate staff.

“We decided to partner Wilkins hospital in catering for the needs of patients and staff through our donation of 300kgs of meat. This is a purely humanitarian gesture by MC Meats to appreciate the work Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital is doing and the risk that the staff take by dealing with patients,” said Mr Matinyarare.

Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital was designated as the first Covid-19 referral centre in February this year. It has also been involved in the training of healthcare workers from other centres.