By John Longwe
CHIKWAWA-(MaraviPost)-“Charity begins at home” could suitably describe the kind donation of wheel chairs and other items, which Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Chikwawa Nkombezi Constituency, Abida Sidik Mia has on Friday afternoon channeled to Ngabu rural hospital.
The MP personally presented the donation that comprised of 5 wheel chairs, 15 bags of maize flour weighing 25 kilograms each and plastic utensils like basins, plates and cups.
In her address during the handover ceremony, the lawmaker fondly called “Mama Abida” said she has come up with the donation in response to the need of such items at the health facility.
“Again and again based on the need, I find it compellingly important to donate to the hospital located in my constituency as a way of complimenting efforts of improving the health care of the people that I represent in the National Assembly,” said Abida Mia.
Before the main ceremony, the legislator visited and cheered the sick in various wards of the hospital including maternity and pediatric section.
Apparently in high spirits after receiving the donation on behalf of the hospital, the facility’s overall incharge, Prince Katchika, applauded the legislator’s kind gesture saying “it is timely and will mitigate the need on the ground”.
Particularly on the wheel chair donation, Katchika mentioned that the hospital had all along been using only one wheelchair, which was inadquate for all patients that needed such facility.
A few months ago, the constituency’s first female parliamentarian had also donated to the hospital miscellaneous goods of over 50 mattresses and other items like maize flour.
The 72 bed capacity Ngabu Rural Hospital, which serves a population of over 40,000.
According to Katchika, chief among the main challenges that the hospital is currently facing is the frequent cases of patients from the neighbouring Mozambique hence their coming in add pressure on allocated resources.
He said, for instance, about 80 percent of severe malnutrition cases in children are from Mozambique.