A charity grouping of Malawians based in United Kingdom (UK), Malawi Health Care Support (Mahecas) has donated 1 025 new hospital beds and 781 new hospital mattresses valued at around K700 million to the College of Medicine (COM) in Blantyre, a constituent college of the University of Malawi.
Mahecas coordinator Lawrence Gogodus said the donation was a response to a request by the medical college and that the beds, will be distributed to various public hospitals which are faced with acute shortage of beds and where patients sleeping on the floor.
The beds were sourced from Medstrom Healthcare UK , a manufacturers of specialist hospital beds.
“Mahecas is committed to improving the health sector in Malawi through provision of various support to hospitals,” said Gogodus.
He said after receiving the request from College of Medicine, the charity approached Medstrom Healthcare UK “and we are glad they have provided us with these durable beds, mattresses and also cleared the shipping bill.”
Mahecas is a UK-registered healthcare charity focussed on the relief of sickness and preservation of good health among patients in hospitals, health clinics, and other primary health care locations in Malawi.
The organisation raises funds through dinner and dance events, food tasting and big walks.
COM’s acting principal Professor Mac Malewa said the purpose in seeking the donation, was to support government hospitals which are in the COVID-19 battle front.
“It is through participation in the fight against the pandemic that we realised there was need to source beds for the care of the COVID patients in all the hospitals that are looking after the COVID patients,” Prof. Malewa said.
He touted the beds as being of the same calibre as those used by the National Health Services in the UK where Medstrom manages 20 percent of the UK acute beds and mattresses fleet and products and services to 150 hospitals in the UK and Ireland.
“The beds are not just going to be used for COVID patients they can be used beyond COVID-19, they are robust beds that can be in the hospitals for years to come,” Malewa explained.
According to Malewwa, the CoM management will decide on the beneficiary hospitals which will included Queen Elizabethe Central Hospital, Kamuzu Central, Zomba Central and Mzuzu Central Hospital
Mahecas has previously donated beds to hospitals in Mulanje, Chitipa, Chikwawa, Chipita, Zomba and Mangochi among others.
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