The Sunday News
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
SMALL to Medium Enterprises play an important role in national economic development and they need increased support from Government and other development agencies for them to realise their full potential as they transform into big corporates.
This was said by CS Medical’s sales and product manager Mr Tsepo Sibanda soon after making a donation of 18 glucose testing machines to Beitbridge district last week. The equipment is for use in all the area’s clinics in enhancing the treatment of diabetic patients.
According to Mr Sibanda, the gesture is part of their Community Social Responsibility initiative they are rolling countrywide in piecemeal. He said the company has been growing from strength to strength since its formative years in 2010.
“As CS Medical we saw a prevailing list of a need in glucose machines in the municipality clinics. We decided to donate glucose testing machines to Beitbridge municipality. During our visit to Beitbridge we realised that they were in need of other items. There are 16 clinics in Beitbridge which might need the machines. We donated 18 more glucose machines to equip all the machines.
“Our main line of business is the supply and distribution of medical equipment and sundries, laboratory equipment, reagents, test kits and consumables, glucose machines and strips, radiography equipment, films and consumables, and dental and rehabilitation equipment and sundries,” said Mr Sibanda.
He said for the past three years they have been donating medical related equipment to big cities including Bulawayo and Harare as part of their CSR initiative. Mr Sibanda said they decided to look at those towns which are usually overlooked where the provision of people-centred health services is concerned. He said the programme will cover the whole country by year end that they were starting with Beitbridge and those other small towns in Matabeleland South Province.
“Our worry is that 10 percent of the country’s population lives with diabetes and hence our gesture of goodwill to help local authorities improve the provision of quality health services.
“In addition, yearly we take students for attachment from Bulawayo Polytechnic College to expose them to business environment. As we speak I am a product of that tutorship at Cs Medical. I am grateful they have taught me everything that I know in business and it is our hope to contribute in our own way in the development of Zimbabwe’s human capital base,” said Mr Sibanda.
He said innovation, determination and being principled has seen CS Medical growing into a formidable entity other institutions or SMEs must learn from. The manager said people must not be afraid to dream or break into new ground as they travel through the road to transformation and economic growth.
Mr Sibanda said the organisation was primed to be a leading corporate in the provision, manufacturing of related products and a leading retailer and supplier of equipment in laboratories and hospitals.
“Currently our suppliers are reputable manufacturers from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Asia, Europe and America. Our head office is located in Bulawayo and serves clients in the southern region of the country.
“We have a branch office in Harare to serve clients in the northern region. The sales team is led by a sales director who is a medical scientist by profession, who is supported by two sales representatives and one sales assistant who mainly deals with telesales. We have five employees currently,” said Mr Sibanda.
He said their target market include private labs, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and NGO’s.
“In addition, we are the official or exclusive distributors of the following leading brands: Omega Diagnostics, Novatest, Certest, Cypress, Labcare, Glory science, Isense and Fortress,” he added.
