To mark the first anniversary of the plane crash that killed Vice-President Saulos Klaus Chilima (SKC) and eight others, SKC Foundation yesterday presented K16 million worth of equipment and supplies to Ntcheu District Hospital.
The foundation’s chairperson Mary Chilima said the donation was in honour of the memory of Chilima and to sustain his legacy.
to Mhango. | Jonathan Pasungwi
She said: “As we remember my dear beloved husband Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, the SKC Foundation is there to perpetuate his legacy.
“He was kind. He was generous and what we are doing here is a continuation of those works. So, we thought it wise to not just mourn, but to mourn with a purpose.”
The items included hospital beds and patient monitors.
Mary said the SKC Foundation was also planning to make a donation to Chikangawa Health Centre in Mzimba to support health personnel at the facility close to Nthungwa in Viphya Plantation where Chilima and eight others perished enroute to Mzuzu Airport from Lilongwe on June 10 2024.
Ntcheu district director of health and social services Innocent Mhango, speaking in an interview, said the donation was timely because Ntcheu District Hospital faces a number of challenges.
He said by nature of its location along the M1, the hospital serves patients from across the country, including road accident victims while its budget allocation targets Ntcheu District only.
Said Mhango: “I look at Ntcheu District Hospital as not only serving the patients from Ntcheu District alone. It provides services beyond its borders.
“We do receive cases everyday who are involved in road accidents. Those patients come from different districts and not only Ntcheu, so I see the hospital as a national hospital.”
SKC Foundation was launched on February 12 2025, the late Chilima’s birthday, to work towards fulfilling his vision and legacy.
The nine met their fate on their way to Nkhata Bay to attend the burial ceremony of former minister of Justice and Attorney General Ralph Kasambara.
