The establishment of a High Dependent Unit (HDU) at Mlambe Misssion Hospital in Blantyre is expected to be completed early next year.
This follows assistance solicited through friends of Mlambe Association after members of the group noted that lack of an intensive care unit at the hospital was one of its major challenges.
The association has since organised a dinner dance to be held on December 12, 2014 at Mount Soche Hotel to raise funds for the project.
According to Chairperson of the task force for the project, Mwiza Wankhama said that the tickets for the dinner are available through the association’s members and Mlambe Hospital.
The cost of tickets range from K 12,000 for single and K130,000 for a table of ten people.
“Since the association started in 2004, we have been holding these dinner dances towards the end of the year with an aim to raise funds and buy various items in need at the hospital since it lacks enough funding,” Wankhama said.
“Last year we managed to raise K2.5 million through an end-of-year dance and this time we expect at least to rise above K3.5 million to complete the work which we started.
Wankhama further added; “The hospital provided a room for the intensive care unit and as an association we have to raise a lot of money because equipment for the HDU including: beds, monitors and others are very expensive.”
Former Chairperson of the friends of Mlambe Association, Stain Singo, said the association helps Mlambe Mission Hospital in filling the gap left after donors of the hospital reduced their funding.
“The hospital serves many people from rural areas and this is why we purchase these items including drugs to reduce the cost of serving people so that they can be finding the services at a subsidised price,” Singo said.
The Friends of Mlambe Association has previously been assisting the hospital by purchasing medicine and equipment such as wheel chairs, x-ray machine in addition to renovating some of its wards including the TB Ward and the theatre.
