Muluzi donates to China medical supplies to help battle coronavirus

United Democratic Front (UDF) president Atupele Muluzi, whose party has entered into political alliance with the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of President Peter Mutharika, has donated medical supplies to the Chinese as it battles the coronavirus outbreak with more than 90,000 cases of the virus worldwide and more than 3,100 deaths from it.

Muluzi, who recently spent three months as visiting scholar at Peking University in China, presented the donation on Tuesday when he paid a courtesy call on the Chinese Ambassador Liu Hongyang in Lilongwe.

He said “in a symbolic gesture of solidarity” the UDF leader made a donation of medical supplies towards the global fight against Covid-19, the official name of the disease caused by the new coronavirus given by World Health Organization.

The word coronavirus refers to the group of viruses it belongs to, rather than the latest strain.

Covid-19 name is taken from the words “corona”, “virus” and “disease”; with 2019 representing the year that it emerged (the outbreak was reported to the WHO on 31 December).

Muluzi was  accompanied by UDF leader in parliament Lilian Patel and former deputy speaker of parliament Clement Chiwaya, to present the donation to the Chinese

“The spread of the Corona Virus is a global problem, with China the most affected so far and in the African spirit of Ubuntu we come together as one to face our challenges together. The spirit of giving during times of difficulty is a universal value,” said Muluzi, a former Minister of Health.

The Chinese Ambassador appreciated the kind gesture from Muluzi.

“On behalf of our people and the government of China, we are grateful for this and this really defines the slogan of this country-the warm heart of Africa,it is more than words,today we have witnessed it in action,” he said.