The government of Malawi through the Ministry of Health and Population has offered to airlift well-known comedian Eric Mabedi, popularly known as ‘Jokobo’ to India to undergo Kidney transplant, faceofmalawi can reveal.

Last week a grouping operating under Friends of Eric Mabedi pressed a panic button by calling upon well-wishers to help the comedian to fly to India for Kidney transplant.

According to the group’s spokesperson Higah Mkandawire, the grouping was in a mission to raise money amounting to MK20 million.

Due to this development, the past weekend the grouping organized a fundraising show at French Cultural Centre in the commercial capital Blantyre.

The development also forced government to come in and help.

Spokesperson in the Ministry of Health Joshua Malango confirmed of the development in an interview with one of the local daily papers in the country.

“Indeed there have been ongoing discussions between our Principal Secretary [PS] Dr Dan Namarika and Mabedi ever since the news broke out. We first had to ascertain if indeed the transplant was necessary and the final intervention on his condition.

“In liaison with the doctors that have been treating him at Mwaiwathu Private Hospital that process was undertaken. Right now we are waiting to hear from them so that we can move from there. But we will surely assist him,” Malango was quoted as saying.

Mabedi was diagnosed with diabetes in 1994 and since then he has been surviving on self-injection.