Salima Sugar Company donates 4000 surgical masks to Covid-19 Response Private Citizens

Salima Sugar Company Limited (SCCL) has donated 4, 000 surgical masks to Covid-19 Response Private Citizens to enable the initiative reach out to district hospitals with response materials in the next two weeks.

France-based Malawian Stanley Onjezani Kenani established the initiative to complement the government efforts to mobilize resources for combating the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

The pandemic has claimed millions of lives across the world. The second wave of the pandemic has overstretched the already resource-constrained the health system in Malawi, which prompted President Lazarus Chakwera to appeal for support from both local and international organizations and companies to complement efforts by the government to combat the disease.

SCCL General Manager (GM), Apoorva Roy, told Nyasa Times after presenting the donation that Covid-19 has not spared his company as 14 members of staff recently tested positive for Covid-19 and the company is currently looking after them.

“This pandemic has caused a big problem the world over. For two months, Salima Sugar Company Limited was forced to suspend production because of the pandemic. And during this period, we failed to produce 6, 000 tonnes of sugar,” said Roy.

He assured that the company will continue supporting the national efforts to end the disease.

“This is just the beginning. We pledge to donate more, but we can’t say when and how much,” said Roy.

A member of Covid-19 Response Private Citizens, Trinity Kubalasa, said the initiative is overwhelmed with requests from public health facilities for various medical supplies.

Kubalasa therefore commended SCCL for the donation.

“We are so thankful to Salima Sugar Company for the donation. These masks will go a long way in address a deficit of the same in our hospitals. For the past three weeks, we have been purchasing so many things, which we have delivered to the hospitals. But the next weeks as we wind up our initiative, we are planning to go to district hospitals. So, these masks will add onto the materials we have already acquired for district hospitals,” she said.

Over the past weeks, the initiative has donated oxygen cylinders, diagnostic kits, essential drugs and many other medical supplies to central hospitals.

Kubalasa also took advantage of the event to thank companies and Malawians of goodwill for their generous donations towards the cause.

“Since we started our initiative, we have been overwhelmed with the support from the public. Individuals and companies have come forward to donate. But some have not yet donated. So, we are appealing to them to also come forward to support this initiative. It’s not too late. And some people have been wondering if we are only looking for huge sums of money. NO! Every coin counts in this initiative,” she emphasized.

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