Wednesday,May 25, 2005 @12:01 AM EAT

Mama Anna Mkapa donates medicines

By Semu Mwakyanjala
Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities for All Trust Fund (EOTF) Mama Anna Mkapa has called for stepped up efforts to fight malaria.
Mama Mkapa made the call in the city yesterday when presenting an assortment of mosquito nets, anti-malaria medicines and mattresses for schools and hospitals in Ulanga, Kilombero, Masasi and Biharamulo districts.
The items were donated by Chinese Embassy in Dar es Salaam and a Chinese pharmaceutical company Holleypharm.
She said malaria, though the number one killer disease in the country, could be easily cured and prevented. The disease, she added, was a development problem.
Mama Mkapa appealed for timely treatment of malaria and proper use of effective medicines for its cure, saying malaria should be dreaded at the same level as HIV/AIDS.
The ceremony was also attended by Holleypharm Director Mr Gong Wu and the visiting Kenyan Minister for Works and Human Settlements Mr Raila Odinga. Mr Odinga was accompanied by his Tanzanian counterpart, Mr John Magufuli, who is also the MP for Biharamulo constituency.
The Kenyan Minister for Works, Mr Odinga, thanked the First Lady, Mama Mkapa, for her commitment towards helping the poor in Tanzania. He said she was a role model for many people in the region.