AfDB pledges more support
The African Development Bank has reiterated its commitment to continue supporting the country’s health and education sectors.
One of the bank’s administrators Samy Zaghloul made the commitment when a delegation from the institution visited Chisoka Health Centre in Thyolo district.
Chisoka is among 33 health facilities in the country’s rural areas being constructed funded by the bank to enhance access to quality health services by Malawians.
Speaking after touring the facility, constructed in 2010, Zaghloul said the organisation was impressed with the way authorities have taken care of the health centre.
“As a bank, we would like to make sure that people in developing countries such as Malawi have access to quality health and education services, but sustainability of these plus other projects largely depends on the ability of local authorities to take care of such facilities,” Zaghloul said.
He also stated that the facilities are part of the bank’s agenda to improve service delivery on the continent as a whole.
“We are pleased as an institution to help people on the continent by investing in health and education to improve the quality of life of people of Africa,” he said.
But all is not rosy as the facility, which carters for a population of about 30,000 people mostly women and children, has only two nurses, a clinical officer, an environmental health officer and about 18 Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs).
In addition to that, the facility has no laboratory, guardian shelters and waiting rooms. In an ideal situation, officials say, the facility was supposed to have at least 15 nurses, a laboratory and a guardian shelter.
Director of Planning and Policy Development in the Ministry of Health Emma Mabvumbe said government will soon deploy the required personnel at Chisoka and other health facilities in the country’s rural areas.
“A functional review meeting we held also resolved to reduce the nurse- patient ratio in the country’s health facilities which is really high, suffice to say that since the African Development Bank constructed this and other facilities, government has always been responsible for maintenance and provision of services and we will continue doing that,” he said
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