Chipembere Community Development Organization (CCDO) has distributed Personal Preventative Equipment (PPE) to Bvumbwe health facility, Bvumbwe and other support service institutions in rapid response to health threats posed by Covid19 to the frontline health workers in their line of duty.
Other Institutions include Bvumbwe police station and Mphezo, Nyambalo and Ligowe primary schools.
Presenting such PPEs as hand washing buckets, soap and face masks during stakeholders advocacy meeting, CCDO Executive Director , Dalitso Chiwayula said Covid19 has negatively impacted on health care delivery systems by impeding access to quality preventive and curative health services to the general public.
Chiwayula observed that the pandemic has significantly affected levels of access to treatment, care and support among the populations with health pre-conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHIV) in Thyolo district.
“This is mainly due to the shift of focus by the overstretched health service providers whose much concentration is on treating Covid19 cases, with less health attention to other illnesses”, observed Chiwayula.
He said in response to the pandemic, CCDO is carrying out campaign in which it is engaging authorities at the District Health Office (DHO) in a bid to advocate for a multi-month-ARV dispensing through Home-Based health service delivery.
“Adopting this way will ensure social distancing is observed and exposure to Covid19 at the health facility among PLWHIV is reduced. The approach will also enhance ARV adherence for the targeted population in hard-to-reach areas,” he explained.
In response, one key stakeholders from the health facilities around Thyolo district, Lawrence Liffa observed that CCDO’s advocacy agenda was worth considering and said they would liaise with the relevant authorities to fast-track the multi-month dispensing of ARVs process to ensure continued access to ART treatment among PLWHIV Amin’s Covid19.
One of the community beneficiaries attending the advocacy meeting, 30 year old Mary Mulohva, commended CCDO for the initiative saying this would save time and transport cost incurred during her routine visits to the health facility to get ARV.
“I have long waited for such initiative as this: accessing ART right from my doorstep will ease the burden of walking long distances to get ARVs from the health facility,” said Mulohva.
CCDO is implementing the project in Thyolo district in emergency response to Covid19 with support from Frontline AIDS in United Kingdom.
