By Alinafe Nyanda:
Petroleum Importers Limited (PIL) on Thursday donated a solar powered water pump to Mpamantha Health Centre to help the facility cope with water shortages and fight Cholera out-breaks in the process.
The water pump among other things is expected to assist the hospital access clean and portable water in water and enhance efforts to promote health, hygiene and sanitation in the district.
Speaking during the handover ceremony this week at village headman Kaulungu Mpamantha health centre in-charge, Thokozani Tambulasi, described the courtesy as a timely donation, saying the facility has been experiencing water constraint after its solar powered pump was stolen some ten months ago.
“While appreciating the timely gift, the facility is still facing a lot of challenges which includes; lack of guardian shelter, kitchen and insufficient wash rooms, just to mention but a few and we are urging well wishers and other stakeholders to emulate what Petroleum Importers Limited has done to the community,” Tambulasi said.
On his part, Mpamantha health Centre, advisory committee chairperson, Charity Gwaliko said after the pump was stolen women were been forced to buy water in a far distance which was very worrisome.
She said the revamped water solar pump would ease water problems the health centre has been facing due to lack of a water pump and has since hail Petroleum importers Limited for the donation, as they have been struggling to find water clean water for a while.
In his address, Petroleum Importers Limited, Finance and Administration manager, Kambani Chiyera said the donation to assist the hospital was in line with company’s corporate social responsibility policy
“The health sector is one of the sectors that we are investing our money in because we realize that only health people can contribute positively to the socio-economic development of this country
“We believe that the restored pump will go a long way in the fight against cholera, and other diseases, among clients and health workers as they will now have easy access to clean and health water,” said Chiyera.
Group village headman Kaulungu from Mpamantha strongly warned the community against vandalism of the properties on the facility as almost twenty two thousand people rely on heath canter for medical treatment in Nkhotakota.
The Chief said the installation of the water pump has also brought a sigh of relief as erratic water supply was the order of the day at the facility.
The MK3 million solar pump donation was made possible by Petroleum Importers Limited a consortium of four companies which includes; Vivo of Engen filling stations, Total, Puma and Petroda.
