The Asian Business Community
By Duncan Mlanjira
Asian Business Community (ABC) are on a campaign soliciting funds to procure hospital beds, water-proof mattresses and pillows to be donated to various hospitals.
The cost is at K125,000 each and the target is to raise 75 beds and so far total beds pledged are at 52, remaining with 23 as of close of business on Tuesday.
The equipment donated when COVID-19 struck
This is being done under the theme ‘You Can Change the Quality of Service Delivery in Some of the Neediest Hospital & Medical Facilities in Malawi’ and done in conjunction with District Health Offices.
Spokesperson Dharmendra Lakhani ABC had established a COVID-19 hospital which was treating its members as well as other communities members and as soon as the bed pledges reach 75, they will start looking at other equipments.
“We have not had any patients at the COVID-19 facility and hence we decided to scale down operations and give the equipments where it is needed for better treatment of patients,” he said.
“Any excess funds shall be used towards the COVID-19 Task Force initiatives.”
Wellwishers are asked to contact Nabila Tayub on 0999 364 320; Lakhani on 0884 641 815; Maqbul Latif on 0994 447 992 and Kauser Nooru on 0995 212 000.
Or to deposit their contribution to: First Capital Bank, Limbe Branch, Asian Business Community | Account # 0001704002013.
As soon as COVID-19 was registered in the country, ABC promptly responded by donating preventive materials which was also an investment into the health sectors.
“We have leveraged the extensive business and social connections within the Asian Business Community in providing adequate support towards assisting the government initiatives.
It also formed a special task force that played a leading role nationally in identifying and addressing the limited knowledge about COVID-19 through its media arm via publications, setting up billboards, radio messages, video adverts and social media posts.
ABC leaders
The task force spent over K600 million towards assisting the government’s preventive response measures that included equipping the Ministry of Health isolation, quarantine and treatment center at Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN) Kameza campus in Blantyre and the procurement of ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPEs).
The task force also provided two state-of-the-art ambulances for Blantyre DHO and facilitated medications and the provision of medical personnel as well as identifying a location to be equipped with isolation, quarantine and treatment center in Zomba.
Overall, the equipment donated included pulse oximeters; stethoscopes; N95 masks; protective gowns; infrared thermometers; vital sign monitors; refrigerators; oxygen concentrators; oxygen tanks; beds; mattresses; hand sanitizers and many more vital medical equipment.
The former President Peter Mutharika recognized the ABC impact and found it prudent to appoint one of their members into the presidential COVID-19 task force.
Coronavirus alert