One of the country’s renowned cement manufacturers, Portland Cement, has donated 600 bags of cement valued at K12 Million to Mercy James Centre for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, where there are plans to construct a new-storey building on its campus.
It is reported that the two-storey building, will cater for temperature-controlled cold room storage, kitchen, and teaching rooms and in addition, it will also provide wards to caretaker mothers who have emergency surgery for newborn babies.
In response to this development, Portland Cement has donated 600 bags of their premium high-strength SupaSet, a gesture which according to the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Jianguo Liu, is part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program.
Liu said the company, which has for over 65 years been at the forefront of building iconic structures in Malawi ranging from schools to hospitals, was compelled by the good work the hospital is doing.
“We would like to applaud the work that Mercy James Centre for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care offers to our country. The hospital is the only pediatric surgery not only in the country but also a training centre in the region. We were pleased to learn of the amazing work that the hospital does.
“We were particularly moved to learn of the challenges that the hospital has had in managing limited medical supplies storage space to improve the efficiency of the hospital. The new building extension will provide the much-needed temperature-controlled medical storage facility as well as offering highly specialized pediatric surgery training for the region and beyond,” said Liu.
While describing the pediatric centre as not just a surgical and care unit, but also a home of hope for a better future for children, the CEO further expressed commitment to collaborate with the Ministry of Health on promoting the country’s health section.
Currently, the facility has a general ward capacity of 50 beds, with two 2 High-Density Units and an additional 14 beds in the mini High-Density Unit above all, the hospital is also a training facility for both local and international medical practitioners.
