UK students donate heaters to Chiradzulu Hospital

Students from Nottingham High School in England last week donated four heaters and assorted items worth £3 000 (about 3.7 million) to the neonatal ward at Chiradzulu District Hospital.

Speaking after presenting the donation, leader for the group Taona Makunganya said they thought of doing the donation after observing that there is high mortality rate in the county.

“When we came to this hospital last year, we noticed that women walk long distances to seek medical attention, only to find there is no bed and [they] give birth on the floor with broken heaters in the neonatal ward.

“Back in England, we started fundraising where we managed to buy heaters to keep the babies warm which is vital in the functioning of the ward,” he said.

Chiradzulu District Hospital paediatric clinic officer Precious Chinyama said for over a year they have been running the ward without enough heaters in the nursery.

He said: “We have been having problems managing hypertrophic babies as they need to be in rooms with adequate warmth.”

On his part, the representative of Friends of Chiradzulu Phocas Sikaloka thanked the students for the kind gesture.

“We urge other well wishers within and abroad to assist in other challenges the hospital is facing,” he said.