No district would want to be like Neno when it comes to development. Neno, is the only district without a tarmac, no proper market while most public infrastructure available are in poor state.
However, when you talk of health services, every district in Malawi would dream to be like Neno one day.
Neno is pulling people from neighbouring districts of Ntcheu, Mwanza, Balaka, and Blantyre, and even those from Mozambique, just to access health care.
Their breakthrough in the health sector started in 2007 following the coming in of Partners In Health (PIH), known locally as Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo.
PIH works in partnership with the Ministry of Health in the district to provide comprehensive care to community members.
PIH also supports the ministry in implementing clinical programmes, community health and social support programmes, monitoring and evaluation, data management systems, and infrastructure improvements for 14 health facilities in the district.
PIH has constructed Neno District Hospital which opened in 2009 including its fence, oxygen generating plant, high-capacity generator and provided a variety of hospital equipment.
Not only that, in 2008, they also constructed Lisungwi Community Hospital which opened its doors in 2010. In 2014, they constructed Dambe Health Centre; in 2015 PIH opened a maternity ward at the district hospital and two waiting homes at Chifunga and Lisungwi facilities, respectively.
From 2018, PIH started helping people with non-communicable diseases by constructing an integrated chronic care clinic, a move which has changed the complexion of health service delivery in the district.
The construction of the integrated chronic care clinic made Neno District to become the first district in Malawi to introduce the Advanced Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) clinics.
Through the NCD programme, PIH has reached out to over 5 000 people in the district who are receiving medication every month.
PIH also provides social support to people with NCDs in Neno, which includes construction of new houses and maintenance of client houses, food, monthly monetary support, education support, transport reimbursement for clients coming from far places to access NCDs services.
PIH has procured and supplied about 90 percent of NCD drugs in Neno, supporting all NCD care training in the district, employing health workers to support the implementation programmes.
A visit to villages in Neno
Last week our journalist visited some patients who are getting support from PIH and how that has helped their lives ahead of the NCD Global Week of Action this month.
The focus was on people suffering from different types of NCDs which require support to survive.
These are diseases such as hypertension, chronic heart diseases, chronic kidney diseases, asthma, diabetes Type 1 and 2, sickle cell disease, liver diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (Copd).
We stopped at James Wilo’s house in Nyakoko Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Dambe in the district. Wilo is 51. Without PIH, Wilo thinks he would have been dead by now.
“PIH is my mother and father. Without them, I could have died,” he said before narrating his story.
Wilo was born without any problem. Things changed in 2012 when he felt some pain on his legs, then in the abdomen.
“Later, I realised that I could not walk, my legs got paralysed, my story changed from that time till today, I cannot walk,” he said.
Wilo visited Zomba and Blantyre to access hospital support but nothing worked for him until he visited PIH in Neno under the NCD section.
He got help and till today PIH is still helping him with medication. He takes 15 drugs a day which per month costs around K70 000. That translates to over K10 million since 2012.
PIH provides all drugs Wilo needs, which include morphine, bisacodyl, catheter, catheter bags, square gauze, cotton roll, plaster, brufen and fluconazole.
“In the absence of PIH, it means I was supposed to buy these drugs, mind you, I don’t do business, I don’t work,” he said.
Not only that, PIH has constructed a house where Wilo and his mother stay. He is also given monthly upkeep money for buying food and other necessities.
Later we visited Grace Lozo, 75, who is suffering from hypertension and sugar. She stays in Nkhwewa Village, T/A Dambe.
Lozo has been suffering from these two ailments for the past 24 years. She cannot buy medication.
“I was in Lilongwe when I was diagnosed with these diseases. The time came for me to relocate to my home village. Arriving in Neno, I was supposed to be going to either Blantyre or Lilongwe to buy my drugs, but it was not that cheap, so I gave up.
“Later, PIH assessed me and started providing me medication from that day till today free of charge,” she said.
PIH medical director Dr. Christopher Banda says PIH came to Neno to support the government. He said he is happy to see success stories being recorded. “We are happy with the progress. However, we should thank Unicef, World Diabetic Foundation and other donors who are helping us to reach out to people of Neno and across,” he said.
