Karonga District Hospital in need of mattresses

Karonga District Council has appealed to well-wishers to support Karonga District Hospital maternity ward with mattresses.

The council’s health and environment service committee chairperson Ngasalayumo Mwangonde made the call on Friday during a full council meeting.

He said: “The hospital does not have a maternity waiting hostel or an antenatal ward, which may not motivate pregnant women to deliver in hospital.

“Currently, there are 12 beds only in the maternity ward while 130 mattresses, including those for deliveries, do not have covers. Each mattress requires lexin which costs K4 000 per metre, translating to about K1.6 million.”

Karonga Nyungwe legislator Kenneth Ndovie (UTM Party) and Karonga North legislator Mungasulwa Mwambande (Democratic Progressive Party) said there was no problem for the council to use part of Constituency Development Fund to address the problem since the hospital serves the whole district.

In a separate interview, Karonga district director of health and social services David Sibale said besides the shortage of mattresses, the hospital is facing a shortfall in fuel budget.

“Our monthly fuel budget was about K4 million, but with the recent fuel price increase, the budget has almost doubled, which is affecting operations,” he said.

During the elections, the council elected councillor Isaac Kalambo of Zgewa Ward in Karonga South Constituency as chairperson and councillor Dyson Mzumara of Uliwa Ward in Karonga South Constituency as vice-chairperson.

In his acceptance speech, Kalambo emphasised the need for teamwork to collect more revenue to develop the district.

Kalambo takes over from councillor Beliam Msukwa of Mlare Ward in Karonga Central Constituency.