AT the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lesotho in March, the Managing Director of local insurance giants Metropolitan Lesotho, Mamello Phomane sat her team down to find strategies to combat the deadly disease that had already claimed scores of lives across the globe.

One of the two relief programmes that the Metropolitan Lesotho team came up with was to locate and identify people who had contracted the virus with aim of helping them stay alive by fighting the pandemic.

Another part of their COVID-19 relief programme entailed partnering with other stakeholders like the Christian Health Association of Lesotho (CHAL) in procuring key equipment required to fight the pandemic.

This part of the programme involves preventing the spread of the virus by among others distributing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Handing over the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) equipment to the Seboche Hospital in Botha-Bothe on Monday, Ms Phomane said their mission remains the same - to save people from the deadly disease.

The donated top quality gear included ventilator machines, pulse oxy-metres, oxygen concentrators and an oxygen concentrator stand.

 Other hospitals that will enjoy similar benefits include Scott in Morija and Paray in Thaba-Tseka.

Ms Phomane said: “We could see all the way from China that the virus was terrible and deadly and that it was going to kill many Basotho. This is how with the assistance of our partners CHAL, we came up with this COVID-19 relief programme because we knew we could not do it alone.”

Receiving the equipment on behalf of the government, the Deputy Minister of Health Nto Moakhi commended the Seboche hospital for providing some of the best health services in the country.