The Insurance Association of Malawi (IAM) Tuesday donated various items including hospital gear for health workers at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre worth K7.5 million to help them fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Presenting the item, IAM president Bywell Blair Chiwoni who is also Chief Executive Officer for United General Insurance (UGI) hailed the health workers at the major referral hospitals for putting their lives in front of others during the fight against the pandemic.
“Let me commend the front-liners for the selfless and sacrificial giving they continue to make for the betterment of fellow human beings. We are in the same field of taking risks, we are in the business of taking financial risks of people and businesses whilst you take health risks of people but yours is very huge as you are dealing with the health risks of others you expose your health risks as well,” said Chiwoni.
The items that were donated to the health workers included 250 scrub suits, 250 reusable head gear, 250 crocs shoes, 3 bales of sugar; 10 tins of milk and coffee; 10 packets of Chombe tea and 5 cases of bottled water.
“This means that we have actually dealt with all your current needs on hospital clothing according to your donation requirement list provided to us. These clothing and food items are critical to the hospital’s response to Covid-19 and I believe this is an important development in the hospital’s fight against this terrible virus, but there is still much more to be done,” said Chiwoni.
Speaking on behalf of the health workers at QECH, Dr Jane Mallewa, Associate Professor of Internal medicine both at QECH and College of Medicine (COM) thanked IAM for the donation saying the health workers feel valued.
“These donations make us proud, we feel valued and we appreciate your support. We cannot thank you enough for this kind gesture, it will go a long way in our fight against the pandemic,” said Mallewa.
Nurse in charge of the Covid-19 ward at QECH Wezi Ngungwe also thanked IAM for supporting the health workers at the hospital saying their assistance is timely as they require adequate hospital gear to do their work effectively while protecting themselves from the virus.