Baby Emerald Heralds new Nkana Hospital

THE new Nkana Hospital in Lufwanyama delivered its first baby into the world this week, a baby named Emerald – Emma for short – by her family in recognition of the construction of the new facility by Kagem Mining, the world’s single largest emerald producing mine.

“We are very excited as this is the first baby to be born at the hospital and will also be the first to make use of the all-round maternity and paediatric services here. We are even more excited about the sheer number of people that the hospital will be able to help over time, especially now that it has an inpatient wing,” said Kagem Corporate and Social Sustainability Manager Mwaka Mulenga, who presented Emerald’s mother Veoreen Mulabi with a baby hamper on behalf of staff from the mine.

The baby is Mrs Mulabi’s second born child. The new baby was born at 05:55hrs on Saturday morning (May 28). She lives in Twatota Section of Nkana Village which is some 10 kilometres from the clinic.

Bequeen Nyoka and other members of the community also expressed delight at the development with the former saying, “Sometimes when going for maternity, we have a problem with lack of transportation plus the pregnancy and you find that a woman has complications in the process of walking the long distance. Now that the…hospital…has been built for us, it’s near, we’re very thankful.”

Nkana Hospital is part of Kagem’s and Gemfields wider efforts in pioneering responsible mining in the gemstone mining sector. The mine’s approach to community development projects is aimed at ensuring maximum impact through a long term sustainable strategy tailored to the needs of the local people while working hand-in-hand with community leaders, central local government, non-governmental organizations and local residents.

The hospital, constructed and furnished at a cost of K6.18 million (US$600,000), comes as a solution to some of the challenges facing the local community in Lufwanyama in accessing proper health care and is set to step up the delivery of health services in and around the area. Patients previously referred to the nearest hospital which is as far as 52 kilometres away were in certain instances turned back as they were not from that particular catchment area. The distance rendered it both physically and financially strenuous for the patients. With the new facilities, only severe cases now need be referred to the district hospital.

The new hospital caters to both in and out patients and houses a male ward; an isolation ward; a paediatric wing; a maternity wing complete with a delivery room, postnatal ward and an incubator for premature babies. Kagem has further furnished it with the necessary equipment including hospital beds, resuscitation machines, oxygen machines and other amenities such as geysers, air-conditions and showers for the comfort of the patients.

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