People in Traditional Authority Wasambo in Karonga have asked authorities in the district to construct a male ward and a maternity wing at Chilumba Rural Hospital.
They said this on Thursday at Uliwa when Wasambo Community Action Group and Wasambo Public Expenditure Tracking committee members under the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of Karonga Diocese met duty-bearers to discuss the projects.
Speaking in an interview, Wasambo Public Expenditure Tracking member Kiddah Munthali said the situation was worrisome.
He said: “The two committees have facilitated various meetings to engage relevant authorities on the same.
“The facility was built a long time ago when the population was small. However, there are no maternity and male wards which forces healthcare workers to admit male patients in children’s ward.”
Wasambo Area Development Committee chairperson Happy Ndovie said the community was ready to support any project with constructing materials as part of its contribution.
CCJP project officer Moses Mwakisalu commended the groups that included Wasambo Mining Committee for engaging duty-bearers on pertinent issues.
He said: “The project seeks to empower people to play a watchdog role and demand from duty-bearers improved social services.
“Let the authorities provide what these committees are asking for because their demands are justifiable.”
However, Karonga District Council chairperson Misheck Mwaijengo assured the community that the 2024/25 Other Recurrent Transactions will be used for the construction of the male ward whose bidding process is underway.
“The council is also in touch with the area’s member of Parliament to see if the area’s Constituency Development Fund can be used for the construction of the maternity wing,” he said.
With funding from the Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurchAid, CCJP is implementing Fighting Inequalities Project in T/A Wasambo in the district.
