Thursday, March 28, 2024

Esther Lungu Foundation Trust rekindles ADH’s hope

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First Lady Esther Lungu
First Lady Esther Lungu

By Priscilla Simukoko

The Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital (ADH) is one of its kinds in Zambia. It is the only third level health institution offering specialised healthcare services to children in the country. The League ex-servicemen donated land through Mr. Arthur Davison at a place where his castle stood, later a children’s hospital was founded there in 1963 but service provision at the health institution only started in 1966.

With time, the hospital has evolved regarding infrastructure needs and service provision. Since inception, ADH has had a 250 bed capacity against the ever increasing population and demand for the healthcare services in the country.

Children needing specialised healthcare rely on ADH for medical relief yet the institution is experiencing challenges common to most public health facilities in the country.

Although government intends to expand the hospital structures and increase the bed capacity to 1, 500, private sector participation in the day to day running of the children’s hospital is still crucial.

As the health institution expands, the need for complimentary support such as the provision of equipment equally becomes critical.

The private sector and the community can support the health institution and ensure a further reduction of avoidable mortality at all ages through donating equipment and other necessary supplies.

Individuals that are influential can also supplement government efforts in addressing the challenges which the hospital is facing.

That is why in its effort to enhance private and community participation, the ADH management holds an open day every year.
True to this concept, the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust, non-governmental organisation (NGO) was among the institutions that responded to the call for assistance.

The foundation rekindled the hope of ADH at this year’s open day. The mere gesture of accepting to be part of the event, First Lady Esther Lungu made an impact on the outcome of the open day.

Children were moved by her passion to be with them and sent good will messages through poems, songs and cultural performances to the Mrs. Lungu who is the patron of the foundation.

The Esther Lungu Foundation Trust from its humble beginning to where it is today has steadily earned a reputation locally and internationally through its various charitable activities. It is well known for creating partnerships with vulnerable groups in communities in the country. It also strives to facilitate an enabling environment where aspirations of the needy in society can be realised.

This year, the foundation has imperiously registered its presence with ADH just like many others who are partnering with the institution to see to it that Zambian children receive befitting healthcare whenever they are ill.

The private sector in the Copperbelt Province and the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust joined hands during the open day event to raise funds, source and secure equipment and building materials, which made part of their contribution towards enhancing the quality of healthcare services at the children’s hospital.

Therefore, the foundation donated 10 plasma television sets, 130 blankets and linen, cooking oil, bags of mealie meal and other necessities to alleviate the shortfalls at the hospital. The items may seem little to others but to the children, the step taken by the foundation will greatly cushion their challenges.

In handing over the donation, Mrs. Lungu said, “improving quality of care and patient safety are therefore critical if we are to accelerate reductions in child mortality. This calls for team work, partnership and person-centred patient care.”

According to Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital Senior Medical Superintendent Jonathan Mwansa, some of the challenges which the hospital is facing are lack of specialised equipment such as the computerized tomography (CT) scan and a bronchoscope.

A bronchoscope is an equipment which helps Doctors remove a foreign body from the airway system of a child. For instance, when a child swallows a coin, the medical personnel will have to use a bronchoscope to locate where the foreign body (coin) is lodged in the airway system.

ADH has been in dire need of a bronchoscope machine, a 4-D ultra sound scanner and an incubator resuscitator. But in collaboration with the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust, the equipment was mobilized by Dalbit Petroleum Zambia, an international petroleum products provider presented the a bronchoscope and other pieces of equipment to the hospital as a way of complementing the efforts of central government to improving the delivery of healthcare to the people.

And Company Director Margaret Mbaka called for the collaboration to develop lasting relationships to solve huge challenges facing families in Africa.

And Dr. Mwan?sa noted that, “we wholeheartedly believe that the Arthur Davison Children’s hospital we dream of, will be achieved through our collective efforts. This gesture by Dalbit Petroleum is a testimony of their belief that we can secure a better future for all by joining hands to bring world class medical care closer to the communities.”

Other donations that have been mobilised came from Bayport Financial Services which include various building materials while Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company offered K15, 000 cash and Standard Chartered Bank gave out K70, 000. Absolute Gentleman, an organisation well known for its consistent support to ADH, also donated four wheel chairs to the children with walking difficulties.

The involvement in the activities of the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust at ADH is no doubt a testimony that healthcare provision is everyone’s responsibility.

“Issues of health deserve sympathy. In my last visit to the United States of America, my foundation managed to establish international collaboration and sustainable partnerships with the Colorado Children’s Hospital and UTH children’s hospital. I wish to state that we shall look for such partnerships for this hospital as well,” Mrs. Lungu said.

It is a well-known fact that what is sustainable is normally what is owned and driven by the communities themselves, the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust is just one of the institutions taking a lead to ensure partnerships are effective, scalable and sustainable in improving the lives of the vulnerable people in society.

ZANIS FEATURE SERVICES

6 COMMENTS

  1. These foundations ran by first ladies whilst their husbands are in power are fake. Why is that they fade away when husbands are no longer in power? The answer is simple, they are mere conduits to prop up their husbands and of course an extra source of income for the first family.

  2. How can you call such an organisation an NGO …when funds disappear when their husbands leave office…these are simply tools for corruption and money laundering!!

  3. This beauty should ensure that money generated from NGO does not end up in personal accounts for personal projects … we all know this trick . Oversees donors and charities are sick of this trick and they are weary of any further support towards these corrupt establishments. The only reason they continue giving is because they have compassion and it breaks people’s hearts when we see images of emaciated third world children with no basic health care . Meanwhile the others are flying off oversees for treatment because they can afford it .

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