By Mphatso Nkuone, MANA
Ecobank Malawi and World Vision Malawi have donated K24 million worth of material aid to Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe to facilitate the efforts in the fight against Covid- 19 pandemic that has shaken the globe.
Ecobank’s Senior Local Account Manager for International Organizations, Rehema M’bang’ombe said the banking facility values its customers, hence the pumping in of K5.4 million as part of its social responsibility.
“As a bank, we know that our success is in the hands of our customers, so if they are affected in any way, the services that we render will consequently be affected.
“We believe that putting our efforts together as a nation is the only way to cushion the impact of this global pandemic, so we decided to donate through World Vision in this gesture,” she said on Friday during the donation.
World Vision’s Director of Programmes, Charles Chimombo told Malawi News Agency (Mana) they chose Bwaila Hospital because it is one of the quarantine centres the country has provided.
“After surveying, we discovered that this facility lacks a lot of support materially to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, which is a very serious problem the world is facing and Malawi is hit too.
“World Vision has pumped in K18.6 million, while Ecobank injected K5.4 million summing up to K24 million on items that are clinically Covid-19 related in nature,” Chimombo said.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, District Environment Health Officer for Lilongwe, Paul Chunga thanked the two institutions for donating the clinical items that he said would go a long way towards the fight against Covid-19.
“We lack resources materially, in kind and financially to mitigate the situation. At this facility we have two patients admitted related to the Covid-19 disease.
“We are in need for 12 ventilators, but currently we have only one which is a very big challenge for us.
“Lilongwe has registered six cases of coronavirus with five live cases which need serious attention. We need more protective equipment that each and every health worker has to wear as they conduct their daily work,” Chunga added.
Malawi had, by April 18, 2020 registered 17 cases of the coronavirus (Covid-19), including two deaths.
