IN AN effort to support health-care facilities in its communities, Glencore Coal donated 50 hospital beds to the Impungwe hospital in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga.
In a statement, the mine said the donation valued over a million rand aimed to ensure that the hospital can deal with the high influx of hospital patients in the area.
According to the company, the services rendered at the Impungwe hospital include out patient, casualty and ambulance services, medical, surgical (no theatre), and pediatric in-patient care to name a few.
Impungwe hospital chief executive Malesela Letlalo said the beds would also assist the hospital should the country be hit by a Covid-19 third wave.
“We are thankful for this donation from Glencore because we know first-hand the importance of having specialised beds in our hospitals.
“When the number of Covid-19 patients was increasing rapidly, most local hospitals struggled with the intake of Covid-19 patients and had to resort to making patients sleep on the floor because they didn’t have enough beds.
“This donation from Glencore comes at a crucial point, and we know that these beds will come in handy in the case of a (Covid-19) third wave” he said.
According to Glencore, it spent over R59 million in CSI initiatives, skills development, and Covid-19 relief efforts. Glencore’s donations contributed to various initiatives such as; the provision of screening and testing in communities, the supply of water tanks in water-scarce communities, access to e-learning programmes, mass fabric mask production and distribution, supply of food aid, mass distribution of sanitisers and infrared thermometers, and the roll out of wi-fi hotspots.
Glencore Coal General Manager for Community and Regulatory Affairs Noel Pillay said: “It’s been really important for us at Glencore to make sure we address the needs of our community members during this pandemic.
“As a business, we understand the challenges faced by our host communities as they are predominately located in remote areas with limited public health-care systems, this is why we continue to seek out different ways we can be of support to them.
“We continue to partner with the Department of Health for meaningful social upliftment and are proud that this contribution will ensure that our communities progress as a result.”
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