Health facility excites Lilongwe communities
People from Traditional Authority (T/A) Mazengera in Lilongwe District have expressed excitement with the construction of Chigodi health post in the area.
The K85 million health facility, funded by the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (Gesd) project, is expected to serve a population of about 23 000 people.
Speaking on Tuesday in an interview, Mazengera Ward councillor Edward Simoko said the construction of the health facility is a dream come true for the people of the area.
“We thank Lilongwe District Council for the initiative which will reduce long distances people were travelling to access health services at Kamphata and Nkhoma health centres,” he said
A community member Grace Kathumba said the facility will enable women to access antenatal and under-five services nearby.
“We are happy with the health facility because it will enable us to meet clinicians on regular basis and learn more on family planning issues,” she said
Lilongwe Mpenu legislator Eisenhower Mkaka (Malawi Congress Party) said he was pleased to have facilitated the construction of the health facility.
“As you may be aware, the recommended distance from one health centre to the other is five kilometres, but the people from this area have been accessing health services very far,” he said.
Lilongwe district commissioner Lawford Palani said he was pleased to see the health facility completed in the area.
“This health post will provide many services, including nutritional value programmes and under-five clinics. So it is a big achievement to us as a council since this facility will reduce malnutrition cases in the area,” he said
Construction of a maternity wing at the health post has started and is expected to be completed in November this year.
Gesd is a World Bank-funded project being implemented by National Local Government Finance Committee.
