First Lady tours Kabwe Central Hospital , donates equipment
My husband and I have sleepless night looking for ways and means of making our people live a comfortable, says First Lady, Esther Lungu. Mrs Lungu said the First Family was concerned about the wellbeing of the country and would go out of thier way to provide support in areas such as health for Zambian to have healthy and productive citizens.
Speaking when she visited Kabwe Central Hospital with the team from Project Cure, the first lady said the desire of President Lungu was to see to it that people will no longer go abroad to seek medical services.
Mrs Lungu said medical services need to be readily available and accessed by every citizen and this can only be done with the best equipment in place.
Mrs Lungu has commended Project Cure for partnering with the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust and Ministry of Health to provide medical equipment to health institutions in the country.
She said her visit to Denver in the USA was bearing fruit as Project Cure working with City Hall and Children's Hospital of the University of Colorado have donated medical equipment worth $US 500, 000 to Kabwe Central Hospital. Mrs Lungu disclosed that City Hall and Children's Hospital would soon make a donation of medicines worth K3 million to Zambia. " When I think of the immense donations Project Cure is giving to Zambia to improve the lives of the people, am short of words " said Mrs Lungu.
Project Cure chief executive officer, Douglas Jackson said his organization has pledged to continue supporting the government in improving the health of the people in the country. Mr Jackson said his team is pleased with the modern Kabwe Eye hospital adding that with such facilities in place, the country looks forward to a day when people would not be blind due to lack of simple medical procedures.
He however said neonatal care is one area in the health sector that needs support from stakeholders.
Speaking earlier, Central province minister, Sydney Mushanga said people criticize foreign trips made by President Lungu and the First Lady not knowing that it is from such trips that the country gets support in different sectors from cooperating partners. Mr Mushanga said Project Cure is an indication that the foreign trips made by First Lady was not a waste of national resources. "People question when President Lungu or the First Lady steps out of the country saying its a waste of tax payers’ money but what we are witnessing today is an indication that your stepping out of the country is worth while," said Mr Mushanga.
The First lady who interacted with patients at the Eye hospital and Pediatric ward also donated 100 X 25 kilograms of mealiemeal, 1,000 kilograms of beef, cooking oil and sugar to the hospital.
Equipment donated include infant incubator, anaesthetic machine, electric beds, portable ventilator and oxygen concentrator among others.