HARARE — The Chinese medical team in Zimbabwe on Dec 15 handed over a donation of medical equipment to Zimbabwe's largest referral hospital, the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals (PGH), to ramp up its disease preparedness and control capacity.

The medical equipment were donated by the National Health Commission of China to promote the global fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

Speaking at the handover ceremony at PGH in Harare, Luo Weiqiang, captain of the 18th batch of the Chinese medical team in Zimbabwe, said providing support to Zimbabwe in the time of COVID-19 is a top priority of China.

"Today the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China donated this batch of medical equipment to Parirenyatwa Hospital.

"It is another concrete step to enhance our cooperation," Luo said.

The donated materials included ventilators, blood oxygen saturation monitors, electrocardiographs, oxygen machines, among other equipment.

Prior to the donation, PGH was relying on only two ECG machines, and patients had to fork large sums of money to get services from private practitioners.

Speaking at the same occasion, PGH Chief Executive Officer Aspect Maunganidze said the Chinese government has contributed immensely towards Zimbabwe's fight against the pandemic.

"They have continued to assist with ventilators, one of the donations here is a ventilator for patients who need ventilatory care in COVID. You know COVID affects the respiratory system and the severe cases will need ventilatory support, will need oxygen supplementation, and this donation is covering most of the areas," he told Xinhua.

Zimbabwe is recording a surge in COVID-19 cases after reopening schools and its borders, with experts warning that the country is facing a second wave of the virus.

As of Dec 15, the country had recorded 11,358 COVID-19 cases, 9,554 recoveries, and 309 deaths.

Since the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in Zimbabwe in late March, China has made a notable contribution to the country's fight against the pandemic. In addition to providing technical support, China has donated a significant amount of medical supplies to the country to help it combat the coronavirus.