Standard Bank Malawi has handed over a K210 million high dependency unit it has constructed at Zomba Central Hospital Maternity Wing to the Ministry of Health.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Deputy Minister of Health, Noah Chimpeni, commended Standard Bank for the donation, saying it will go a long way in helping the ministry in reducing maternal mortality rate.
Chimpeni further called on other banks to emulate the gesture by helping the ministry in any way possible especially now as other donors are pulling out their funding.
“We are all aware of the situation at hand where other donors are pulling out or pausing their support. The coming in of the private sector to partner with the government is very crucial in ensuring that we continue to save lives,” explained Chimpeni.
In his remarks, Chief Executive Officer for Standard Bank, Phillip Madinga, said they have made the donation to help in reducing the number of women dying whilst giving birth as well as contributing to the realisation of Malawi 2063.
“At Standard Bank, we believe that Malawi is our home, hence the need to contribute to its development. We have our own goals to achieve in relation to the MW2063 and this donation is part of those goals,” explained Madinga.
Commenting on the development, Director General of Zomba Central Hospital, Dr. Saulos Nyirenda, said having an HDU is important to the hospital as they did not have one before.
