ALLIANCE One Tobacco has handed over health facilities to support the Morogoro Regional Referral Hospital for conducting orthopaedic operations and the police force.
The company also donated three modern computers and two printers for use by the police department in Morogoro District.
The health facilities and three modern computers donated by Alliance One Tobacco are valued at 8.8m/-.
Speaking during the equipment handing over ceremony, Morogoro District Commissioner Albert Msando thanked the company for accepting the request to cut down the challenges and shortages of health equipment at the hospital, which caused the region to depend on such services from other hospitals including the Muhimbili National Hospital.
“For example, I was told that the hospital had 98 patients which depended on such services and only 56 were referred to Muhimbili National Hospital the remaining didn’t access such services and others had no other option but to opt for traditional and alternative medicine,” he said.
He said after being informed by the hospital management of the shortages, he wrote to Alliance Tobacco to request support, to which they promptly accepted.
In another development, Mr Msando urged the hospital management and the Police force to make better use of the donated items.
On his part, the Alliance One Human Resources Director Mr Blasius Lupenza said the donated facilities to the community were part of the company’s corporate social responsibility policy targeting water, health and education in its areas of operations.
Citing examples he explained that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the company donated various facilities to government departments to protect them against the rigours of the pandemic.
He said the company also conducted maintenance of police vehicles including buying new tires and other mechanical works.
On his part advocate, John Magoti the company chief spokesperson said the company as a good corporate citizen is implementing its social responsibility support to the government led by Samia Suluhu Hassan to ensure that people are cordially accessing better social services.
The Morogoro Regional Medical Officer Dr Daniel Nkungu thanked Alliance One Tobacco for the support, saying the facility would greatly reduce the dependence on such services to other hospitals.
Dr Nkungu said before receiving such facilities, many patients had to wait for three days to one week for an operation and sometimes they had to borrow facilities from Dodoma Region referral hospital to operate on patients.
On his account, the Police Officer commanding the district of Morogoro, SSP Samson Cornel called for bodaboda riders to religiously observe road safety signs and requirements and thereby reduce unnecessary accidents.
“Kindly observe health and safety rules while riding that motor vehicle of yours, otherwise your lives are in jeopardy immediately as soon as you jump on it,” he observed.
Alliance One Tobacco Tanzania is one of the leading tobacco merchants and processors in Tanzania.
