Illovo Malawi contributes K100m towards Covid-19 fight: To rehabilitate Nkhotakota and Chikwawa isolation centres

Illovo Sugar (Malawi) plc has committed K100 million towards the rehabilitation of Covid-19 isolation centres for Nkhotakota District Hospital and Chikwawa Kasinthula in response to the State of National Disaster declared by President Lazarus Chakwera on January 12, 2021.

A statement from Illovo Sugar says the funds will also be used to  purchase emergency medical equipment such as hospital beds, oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders, patient monitors amongst other needed items to be supplied to district hospitals of Chikwawa and Nkhotakota as well as Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.

Illovo Managing Director Lekani Katandula said  the company— as an important player in the economy — felt obliged to respond positively.

“Our response to the State President’s appeal is in addition to our own ongoing internal campaign tagged ‘COVID-19: It’s In Our Hands’ — which was launched in April, 2020.

“Through this campaign, Illovo has distributed over 100,000 masks to employees, their dependents and communities surrounding our estates.”

This contribution, says Katandula, “confirms our firm commitment to join the government in its efforts to contain the further spread of the virus in the country.

“We hope that our contribution as well as those of many others from the private sector will in some way help to ease the financial burden which the government is facing in its efforts to fight this pandemic.”

In the first wave of the pandemic, Illovo contributed K70 million that was spent in providing support to medical personnel and district hospitals in Chikwawa, Dwangwa and Blantyre.

Illovo also supported Blantyre City Council with COVID-19 awareness materials.

Meanwhile, the citizenry is positively responding in pooling resources together to procure essential medical supplies for the hospitals of the district they come — joining nationwide private citizens intervention currently trending.

Most district hospitals lack essential medical equipment and taking cognizance of this, the patriots in each and every district have initiated their own fundraising campaigns in conjunction with their DHOs.