Upgrade clinic to health centre, chief requests
Group village head Chauteka in Senior Chief Wasambo in Karonga District has asked duty-bearers to upgrade Mphinga Clinic to a health centre.
He said this on Monday when Lilongwe-based businessperson Wilson Sichali donated medical supplies for under-five children to the clinic.
“I thank Sichali for the donation. Our under-five children will get help from within, but upgrade the clinic. This is farming season and going to Fulirwa or Nyungwe health centres for medical treatment is costly because Fulirwa is 15 kilometres [km] away while Nyungwe is 25 km,” said Chauteka.
He said they are ready to mould bricks and collect river sand as part of the community’s 25 percent contribution towards the project.
Mphinga senior health surveillance assistant Yohane Kayange commended Sichali for the consignment of medical drugs.
He said the area’s health facilities are facing shortage of medical supplies.
On what his office is doing to upgrade the facility, Karonga district director of health and social services David Sibale pushed back the responsibility to the community for planning.
He said: “Based on the mentioned distances to the nearest health centres, the people, indeed, deserve a facility of some kind.
“However, I suggest that they should work with their elected leaders to put the health centre project in village action plans. Our role is to provide technical guidance and later sourcing equipment and staff.”
In a separate interview, Karonga District Council chairperson Isaac Kalambo said the challenge in the area is that it belongs to Karonga Nyungwe Constituency, but reports to Wasambo Area Development Committee (ADC) for any development.
“That area is like an island. It reports to Wasambo ADC in Karonga South Constituency while its Constituency Development Fund is drawn from Karonga Nyungwe Constituency. The only way out is to introduce sub-ADC in Sub-Traditional Authority Mwinuka.”
