Assist Dzaleka Health Centre, ministry appeals
Ministry of Homeland Security has appealed to health development partners and relevant stakeholders to provide more support towards Dzaleka Health Centre which has a big catchment area comprising refugees and locals from the host community in Dowa District.
The ministry’s senior administrator Hilda Kausiwa made the call on Friday when There Is Hope donated K60 million worth of medical supplies to the facility.
She said government needs support to provide quality healthcare services, including at Dzaleka Health Centre.
Said Kausiwa: “We intend to keep drumming up support not just for refugees but also the host community in different areas, including health because the catchment area population is too high for adequate service delivery.
“Despite the support we get from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees [UNHCR], there is always a growing demand for social services because the population within the camp and surrounding areas keeps growing.”
She, therefore, hailed There Is Hope for the donation.
There is Hope executive director Catherine Ndege Chirwa said they were complementing UNHCR’s efforts to provide quality healthcare services to the refugees and the surrounding community.
She said: “The supplies will prevent a drug stockout at the facility and the support has come from Health Partners in Canada and International Association for Refugees in Canada.
“This is the fourth time we have made this donation to the centre since 2020 and we will keep mobilising more support from our partners because it falls under our catchment area of operations.”
Dzaleka Health Centre mental health nurse and matron Asamagale Chimphamba thanked the organisation for the donation, saying it will alleviate some of the challenges at the facility, especially when they are treating cholera cases.
“This health centre is different from any other in Malawi because of the clients we serve and our aim is to provide universal health coverage; hence, the need for more support regardless of the quantity,” she said.
The donated items included antibiotics, painkillers, anti-malaria drugs and personal protective equipment.
