07 Aug 2021

The Botswana Gujarati Samaj social and cultural group together with Annova Healthcare has donated four oxygen concentrators to the Lobatse district to ease the shortage of oxygen concentrators.

The four Phillips brand concentrators worth P80 000 were handed to the district’s emergency organising committee by the group chairperson Mr Guarang Dalia together with committee members Ms Lina Desai and Mr Bhavrsh Naik at Athlone hospital on Thursday.

Mr Dalia expressed expectation that patients would derive benefits from the availability of oxygen concentrators.

“We hope this will help at this time of need during this (COVID-19) pandemic,” he said.

Mr Dalia said the group comprises Indian nationals from the state of Gujarati who live in Botswana. He said a majority of the society members were entrepreneurs and had made several charitable donations in this country over the years.

He said they donated a house for a destitute family in Malotwane village in 2016 and completed construction of another house in Moshupa last year. 

Lobatse mayor Mr Essop Pandor expressed gratitude to the donors for their compassion, saying the donation would go a long way to save patients’ lives in Lobatse. 

“Know in your minds that you have saved Lobatse as a whole. You didn’t just leave the problem that we are going through today to government but instead, you decided to assist wherever you can, especially at this most needed time,” he said.  

Lobatse deputy district commissioner, Ms Kolobetso Sejakgomo received the donation on behalf of the district emergency organising committee and thanked Botswana Gujarati Samaj and Annova Healthcare for the donation.

“We very much appreciate the oxygen concentrators. Let us put them to use and save lives,” she said. Ends