CARDINAL Distributors Limited (CDL) has donated items including wheelchairs, facemasks and surgical gloves worth K180, 000 to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka.
The company hopes that the donated items will ease the challenges of the hospital as the country battles the Coronavirus currently wreaking havoc around the world.
UTH senior medical superintendent Dr Alex Makupe received the 15 wheelchairs, 6000 surgical masks and 6000 examination gloves on behalf of the hospital.
Handing over the donation, CDL general manager Elias Chibamba said his company was joining hands with the health institution to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chibamba said every citizen had a responsibility to contribute to the fight against COVID-19 pointing out that failure to do so would result into losing the battle to the pandemic.
He said CDL was supplementing government efforts in on the national health care system.
“As the doctors and nurses are the nation’s first line of defense in the fight against COVID-19, CDL took it up as its corporate social responsibility like many other business organizations to assist the Government of Zambia and donate within its capacity,” said Chibamba.
“We hope and pray that with this united effort of everyone coming together and working towards stopping one common threat, the spread of the pandemic is quickly curbed, our health care providers are protected and our patients recover quickly. Amen.”
He said every person would be judged by history if nothing was done to stop the spread of the virus that has infected more than 1 million people and killed more than 150,000 globally.
“The response from our generation to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it boldly, swiftly and together, we risk losing the battle to the pandemic. Let us please all do our part and practice social distancing, disinfect our surroundings, avoid unnecessary travel and follow the guidelines put in place by our able Ministry,” said Chibamba.
In receiving the donation, Dr Makupe thanked CDL for the gesture.
Dr Makupe said the wheelchairs would go a long way in helping patients who could not move on their own to move around as they got attended to in the hospital.
© Kalemba April 20, 2020
