Businesses take up Ebola challenge

Business Reporter
THE Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) and Econet Wireless in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care will tomorrow host an Ebola call to action breakfast meeting in Bulawayo to discuss strategies of curbing the spread of the disease into the country.Charles Msipa, CZI president said the objective of the meeting was to help the business community and other stakeholders understand the preparedness of the country with regards to Ebola.

“We want the business community to be aware of the position of the government in terms of preparing in case of an Ebola outbreak. A lot of lives have been lost due to this deadly disease and we hope to avoid such scenarios in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Msipa said the business community would devise ways to contribute towards preparing against the outbreak.

“We want the business community to understand about the disease and its consequences and then find ways to strengthen our defence mechanisms as a country. The private sector should also play a role in ensuring the country is prepared in case of an outbreak,” he said.

Msipa said Zimbabweans should work together towards achieving that goal.

“If we unite as Zimbabweans to fight the outbreak of this deadly disease, we can surely achieve. The country once had an outbreak of cholera, which took many lives. We don’t want the same situation to repeat itself, if it’s possible to prevent it,” he said.

Msipa said the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Paul Chimedza, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Gerald Gwinji and the chief executive officer of Econet Douglas Mboweni, would attend the meeting which would be held under the theme: “Prevention is cure”.

The deadly disease has killed more than 5,000 people in West Africa mainly in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria, since it broke out in March.

Zimbabwe has not yet recorded any outbreak of the Ebola so far despite panic messages that have affected tourist arrivals and led to cancellations of major conferences.