26 Jul 2022

Local mining company, Lucara Botswana has donated pharmaceutical drugs worth half a million pula to public health facilities in the Gaborone Central constituency.

The donation includes prescription drugs for treatment of allergies, cardiovascular diseases, gout and blood disorders.

During the handover ceremony yesterday, acting Gaborone District Health Management Team (DHMT) coordinator, Ms Merapelo Baruti said the donation would help address drug shortage challenges faced by the ministry.

Ms Baruti stated that non-communicable diseases were on the increase in Botswana which did not only require drugs for treatment but lifestyle change as well. She said Lucara Botswana was also playing an active role in fighting non-communicable diseases through supporting sport.

The company’s managing director, Ms Naseem Lahri said Lucara Botswana’s various social responsibility programmes as well as sport promotion evidenced its commitment to the development of Botswana and its people.

She said its social responsibility programmes focused on advancing sustainable development goals.

“Our support in sport is aimed at giving young athletes a platform to the international stage since Lucara Botswana wants to have a lasting impact on communities around the country,” she said.

In addition, Ms Lahri said the company was supporting young women through the donation of sanitary pads.

She said health and wellness was a critical aspect of the mine’s business.

Gaborone Central MP Mr Tumisang Healy said Botswana, like other countries around the globe, had been experiencing challenges in the pharmaceutical supply chain as a result of the  COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the donation would help close the supply gaps.

Mr Healy said although Lucara Botswana’s core business was diamond mining, the pharmaceutical donation showed that the company was part of Botswana and equally concerned by the challenges affecting the community.

The legislator revealed that the drugs had undergone all due processes to ascertain their safety.

Mr Healy pointed out that the donation was not Lucara Botswana’s first to the constituency having previously donated sanitary pads which were issued to Maoka Junior School and Gaborone Senior Secondary School learners. ENDS