By Beatrice Bangula
Blantyre, July 1, Mana: Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) with support from Direct Delivery of Routine Immunization Vaccines and Interventions for Equity (DRIVE) project has distributed 18 motor bikes to community volunteers to assist them with mobility during the provision of immunization services in hard to reach areas.
Speaking during the handover ceremony on Monday, Director of Health and Social Services (DHSS) for Blantyre, Dr. Gift Kawalazira said government was very keen to ensuring that services are delivered closer to the communities where they are needed and also that the communities are actively taking part in such initiatives.
“This is just the beginning, we hope that if the volunteers can demonstrate that they can do a good job with these motor bikes then we should be getting more support from government as well as development partners,” he said.
Blantyre District Council Health Service Committee Chairperson, Mussa Chikwakwa assured that the committee would make sure that the selected volunteers are using the motor bikes for the intended purpose in a bid to serve the hard to reach areas better.
“The Health Centres in this initiative include, Mpemba, Madziabango, Ndirande and Soche whereby volunteers who have received the motor bikes are from these health centres,” he said.
A Volunteer from Ndirande Health Centre, Kondwani Kaisi commended the DHO for the initiative, saying the motor bikes would benefit both the community and their families.
“Immunization is not given every day and there are times when the bikes will be free; for that reason, we have been allowed to use the motor bikes during our free time as motor bike operator as one way of addressing some of our basic needs.
“All of us went for motor bike riding training and obtained licenses, we were given crash helmets and wind breakers which will protect us on the road,” he said.
The Expanded Programme on Immunization was established in 1979 as part of the essential health care package for health promotion and preventive.
DRIVE project is funded by the United Nations International Children Fund.
