By Tikondane Vega
Thyolo, April 2, Mana: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with support from KFW Germany has donated assorted medical equipment to the government worth over US$ 1 million to support reproductive health delivery in response to the effects of the 2019 Tropical Cyclone Idai.
Speaking during the donation of the medical equipment at Thyolo District Hospital on Thursday, Director of Reproductive Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Fannie Kachale said the donation by the UNFPA a response to request government made in 2019 when the country was affected by Cyclone Idai.
She expressed hope that support would reduce reproductive health problems which the country’s hospitals continue to face saying government was committed to dealing with maternal related reproductive health problems and other forms of sexual reproductive health problems.
“In 2019, we requested KFW to support Cyclone Idai victims with some medical equipment and now the donor responded positively by giving us assorted items like oxygen concentrators, beds, theatre beds, baby warmers, medicine, theatre lamps, delivery beds, operation theatre tables among other important items,” the Director said.
Some items are already being used in different hospitals including Thyolo and the donation is still coming such that all hospitals in the country will benefit, according to Kachale who added that the donation has come at a right time when many hospitals are lacking medical equipments.
She lamented that the Covid-19 has slowed the battle against maternal death saying due to misinformation and myths of Covid-19 many pregnant women are either reporting late or not reporting at all to hospitals resulting into many maternal deaths in the country.
”I have been informed that from mid last year to date, Thyolo has recorded over 13 maternal deaths, the goodness is that we know bleeding, infections as well as high blood pressure are some of the things that are killing them,” she said while assuring people in the district that some of the donated equipment would address maternal deaths.
Acting Director of Health and Social Services (DHSS) in Thyolo, Dr. Dennis Solomon said the district faces a lot of challenges including lack of x-ray machine such that for a year the hospital is using small scanning machine that cannot handle other cases.
”When x-ray is needed people are told to go as far as Malamulo or Mulanje and later come back to be assisted accordingly. Even our theatres are using old equipment’s that need to be replaced or maintained,” he viewed.
Solomon has called on well-wishers to assist the hospital in addressing the challenges since government on its own cannot manage solve multiple problems.
