By Rhodrick Banda and Samson Napwinya
Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) on Friday donated Covid-19 preventive materials to Thyolo District Hospital worth K13 million as one way of complementing government efforts in reducing the spread of Coronavirus in the country.
NCA Project Officer for Covid-19 Prevention and Response Plan in Thyolo, Chifundo Chatchuka said NCA thought of distributing preventive materials as a way to curb the spread of the virus in the district where the organization was currently running an Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGY) empowerment program.
During the presentation of the materials at the hospital on Friday, Chatchuka said the distribution will encourage health workers from different health centres surrounding the main hospital since the items will cater for 23 health facilities around Thyolo District.
“The donation includes buckets, basins, hand sanitizers, chlorine, masks and gloves which will be distributed to a number of health centers around Thyolo District. The whole donation is amounting to K13 Million,” Chatchuka said.
Thyolo District Director of Health and Social Services, Dr Anord Jumbe said the donation had come at a right time as this will help the hospital’s working team to fight the spread of Covid-19 in the district.
“We are grateful with the support NCA has brought since the pandemic requires a lot of resources in order to end the spread of the pandemic in the district as well as the country at large,” Dr Jumbe said.
He commended health personnel working in the district, saying they were working day in and out adding the district was also geared up to ensure there was total monitoring in all unchartered routes which borders Mozambique in order to protect Malawians from contracting the disease from people who are coming from neighboring countries.
“We talked with the District Commissioner to engage the police in beefing up security; we have also sensitized chiefs to monitor their surroundings and inform the authority in order to screen those coming from outside the country,” Dr Jumbe said.
Director of Planning and Development for Thyolo District, Molosani Magombo said the district has put aside K134 Million for various activities to ensure people are sensitized and protected from the deadly Coronavirus pandemic in the district.
“As a district council, we have already started engaging different stakeholders such as NCA, JPIEGO and many other organizations who are willing to sensitize communities about the pandemic and how to fight against it,” said Magombo.
