Ecosure, a subsidiary of Zimbabwe Stock Exchange listed Cassava Smarttech has chipped in to assist Zimbabweans in the fight against covid-19. Cassava Smarttech’s majority shareholding belong to Billionaire Strive Masiyiwa’s Econet Zimbabwe Limited according to TechUnzipped.com
The insurance firm announced it will make available Personal Protective Equipment for the use by nurses and doctors working on the frontline to treat covid-19. In addition to providing protective equipment, Ecosure is also providing life and health insurance. The frontline medical staff will also be assisted with safe transport for their daily work from now for a period of a year.
Eddie Chibi, the chief executive officer of Cassava Smartech, the parent company of the EcoSure insurance business was quoted by Newsday saying, “In the situation we find ourselves in as a nation, we want to ensure all frontline medical staff are fully protected and we are putting in place measures that give them confidence as they carry out their noble duty of primary patient care and as they save lives.”
The intervention by Ecosure comes after doctors and nurses have downed tools siting risky working working conditions. They demanded protective clothing and to be fairly compensated for working in a risky situation.
EcoSure general manager, Godwin Mashiri assured Zimbabwe that their company is hitting the ground running and will immediately begin the process. “We are offering free personal protective equipment for all doctors and nurses who attend to their duties at this very critical time. We are also offering free Vaya transport to both nurses and doctors, so they can commute to and from work in safe and sanitized vehicles,” he said.
Vaya Africa a subsidiary of Cassava Smarttech recently announced it sill be taking a lead in providing safe transport to the public as it has equipped its drivers with sanitizers and are following strict guidelines.
Mashiri further went on to assure medical staff that they will benefit from a $500 per day medical insurance and an amount of $50 000 in the event of a permanent disability and $30 000 in the event of death.
“On top of that, we will also be offering 100% education scholarships for the children of any medical practitioner who takes up this offer to work in public hospitals or clinics at this time, should they pass on during this period.
Mashiri said the education scholarship would be administered by Higherlife Foundation through its Capernaun Scholarship.
It is not the first time that Strive Masiyiwa linked companies have bailed out the health sector. In 2019, Higherlife Foundation, a charity organisation that he founded together with his wife offered to pay doctors $5,000 per month. Doctors had gone for three months without going to work as their disagreement with the government over compensation raged on. The impasse was broken by Strive Masiyiwa’s offer. He announced he was using his personal resources to fund the doctors salaries.
The Econet group has also been initiating company wide measures to reduce the infection of workers an the general public. Econet’s critical staff are currently rotating to work from the premises whilst most workers are working from home.
Source: Newsday