• FIRST Lady Esther Lungu admires twins during the presentation of gifts to Christmas babies and patients at the University Teaching Hospital yesterday. Picture by THOMAS NSAMA
By FLAVIOR CHISHALA and HOPE BWALYA –
LUSAKA District recorded more than 30 Christmas babies, with the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) standing at 27 as Levy Mwanawasa General Hospital had four.
Among the UTH babies born between midnight and 08:00 hours were 13 girls and 14 boys, with three sets of twins.
First Lady Esther Lungu, who visited the newly-born babies and presented them with hampers, said children were precious and giving birth on Christmas Day was a joyous moment.
“I could not just stay home and eat with my family but I thought about you, I wanted to spend some time with you,” she said.
Ms Lungu encouraged the mothers to take good care of their children and ensure that they were taken to school when the time came.
The First Lady, who was in the company of Health Minister Joseph Kasonde, visited some patients in G22, G02 and paediatric wards where malnutrition and cancer patients were admitted.
She donated some money to the care givers in the wards and at the mothers’ shelter.
The babies’ mothers were also recipients of the cash donations from the First Lady.
Meanwhile, Mwanawasa General Hospital recorded four Christmas births between 01:00 hours and 08:00 hours.Three were males and a female.
Shoprite Zambia donated hampers to the babies at a ceremony witnessed by Lusaka Province Minister Obvious Mwaliteta, who was the guest of honour.
Mr Mwaliteta presented the hampers to the children on behalf of Shoprite management and urged other companies to emulate the gesture of the chain store through corporate social responsibility.
At Chipata General Hospital in Eastern Province, seven babies were born out of whom six were girls while one was a boy.
Kabwe and Chisamba districts in Central Province recorded 17 babies born between midnight and 09:00 hours yesterday.
Out of the 17 babies, 11 were boys while six were girls.
Livingstone in Southern Province recorded three Christmas babies, two girls and a boy, while Mansa had three births.
