The Atlas Malawi

Category: Health

  • Rights organizations support 14-year-old girl’s court action on pregnancy termination

    Rights organizations support 14-year-old girl’s court action on pregnancy termination

    Some human rights organizations have expressed their support for a 14-year-old girl (name withheld), who is seeking justice in the High Court of Malawi regarding her rights to terminate a pregnancy.

    This was revealed by Nyale Institute Executive Director Dr. Godfrey Kangaude on behalf of his organization and others in the coalition including Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), Afya na Haki (AHAKI), Young Women Consortium (YWC) and the Centre for Reproductive Rights(CRR) during media conference held on Saturday in Lilongwe.

    On September 28, 2023, a 14-year-old girl through her legal guardian, filed a case in the high court against several defendants, including the Minister of health with an aim of seeking legal clarity regarding her rights to terminate a pregnant resulting from sexual violence, according to section 19(1) and 19(2) of the Gender Equality Act.

    According to Dr. Kangaude, his organization and others have decided to step up their support for the girl as the pregnancy is putting her life in danger.

    “We stand by this girl, because her case holds immense public importance, concerning the ability of pregnant minors and survivors of sexual violence to access safe and legal abortion services as per our laws. The law permits termination of a pregnancy when a woman’s life is in danger. It is our strong belief, supported by evidence, that when a girl or woman becomes pregnant due to sexual violence, her life is indeed in danger. In such cases, girls and women have a legal right to access safe abortion services if they choose” said Kangaude

    Dr. Kangaude further said the existing laws and clinical guidelines lack clarity on what constitutes, concerning the ability of pregnant minors and survivors of sexual violence to access safe and legal abortion services as per laws.

    According to Dr. Kangaude, this year, a study conducted by students from Kamuzu University of Health Sciences revealed many challenges that pregnant minors are facing who wishes to terminate pregnancy but they are restricted to do so.

    He therefore said this case presents a crucial opportunity for healthcare institution and providers.

    “A court’s determination of this girl’s legal rights would provide much needed clarity on the legal obligations of healthcare professionals when dealing with situations involving sexually violated girls seeking safe and legal abortion. This case serves as an important milestone in the implementation of the Gender Equality Act to ensure that survivors of sexual violence are protected and supported by the law” he added

    Meanwhile, Dr. Kangaude has called upon all interested parties to join them in supporting the clarification of the legal issues surrounding the 14 year old girl.

  • Thyolo DHO registers 3 new cases of Cholera

    Thyolo DHO registers 3 new cases of Cholera

    Thyolo District Health Office has registered three new cases of Cholera in Traditional Authority (TA) Nchilamwera in the district following communities’ failure to take cholera vaccine which was administered previously.

    Director of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Dr. Arnold Jumbe said the two cholera cases were registered at Ndalama village and one case at Mzuwa Village because the communities were misinformed by social media on the uptake of vaccine.

    “During the previous Tithetse Cholera campaign early this year, Thyolo district had the opportunity to access cholera vaccine but most communities in the two villages were misled by social media messages and this resulted into low uptake of Cholera vaccine.

    “People should trust health workers and should ask health workers to provide reliable and right information on cholera”, he said. 

    Dr. Jumbe assured people of Traditional Authority Nchilamwera that his office will carry out a series of cholera awareness meetings and pot to pot chlorination starting from the affected households.

    He further said the district will also distribute Thanzi ORS on top of vaccinating people against Covid-19 in line with National Integrated Tithetse Cholera and Covid-19 Campaign expected to be rolled out soon. 

    Thyolo DHO identified first case of cholera case in October, 2022 at Mathotho Village, TA Mphuka and recorded the first death in the same area.

    Cases increased from 32 in October, 2022 to 757 in January 2023 and consequently decreased to 419 in February 2023, according to Thyolo DHO.

    Reported By Andrew Phiri

     

  • BLM bring sexual reproductive health services to youths through a Youth Open day

    BLM bring sexual reproductive health services to youths through a Youth Open day

    In a bid to ease access to quality sexual reproductive health services to the youths and reduce cases of sexual transmitted infections as well as unplanned pregnancies among youths, Banja la Mtsogolo on Saturday stormed Chinsapo township in Lilongwe with information and services to curb the vice.

    The event took place at MASAF ground in Chinsapo township hosted numerous activities such us live performances from Eli Njuchi, Crispy Mw among others, free family planning services, a health talk as well as free HIV testing and Counseling.

    Speaking at the Youth Open day, Senior Program Manager at Banja La Mtsogolo Tusekele Mwakasungula said the event was organised to give access to reproductive health services to the youths

    Mwakasungula said there are alot of factors that are pushing friend health services from the youths.

    “We are here to bring the services that are lacking to the youths and these services are mostly taken away from them due to several factors such as the distance from their homes to health facilities so we are here to bring the services they need”, he said.

    Mwakasungula said as BLM he was impressed with the turnout and responsiveness of the youths on the activities organised.

    Banja La Mtsogolo, was established in 1987 to expand access to sexual and reproductive health and rights in the country and has clinics across 28 districts.

  • NBS Bank, Atlas Medical partner for breast cancer awareness

    NBS Bank, Atlas Medical partner for breast cancer awareness

    NBS Bank has partnered with Atlas Medical Centre to bring awareness to women on free breast cancer screening services being offered at the medical facility this month.

    October is breast cancer awareness month, and the medical centre started offering free breast cancer screening services from day one.

    Speaking to the press on Thursday, NBS Bank Head of Marketing and Customer Experience Tamanda Ng’ombe said the Bank is using its wide range of customers and social media platforms to relay the message of the free screening service.

    “Dr. [Parth] Patel reached out to NBS Bank that they needed corporates to come in to help them communicate the message that people should come and get screened because most people don’t know where to go or can’t afford it. We are a communication channel for Atlas Medical Centre to get people to go and get screened,” she said

    Atlas Medical Center Managing Director Dr Parth Patel said the health facility managed to secure a specific fund that will allow them to conduct breast cancer screening for any woman that walks into the clinic the entire month.

    “However, the impact we could create on our own is limited because as a private clinic, we are not able to reach out to the masses out there. Partnering with corporate institutions like NBS Bank would help try to get to the people and spread the message because breast cancer is something that we now have treatment options for,” said Patel.

    Patel added the health facility is targeting to reach out to 400 women and has currently screened 120 women since October 1.

    He said the initiative will also be extended to men in November which is prostate cancer awareness month.

  • Makanjira health centre project beacon of hope for people of Mangochi- Iceland

    Makanjira health centre project beacon of hope for people of Mangochi- Iceland

    Head of Mission from Embassy of Iceland to Malawi Inga Petursdottir on Monday described construction of comprehensive emergency obstetrics and neonatal facility at Makanjira health centre in Mangochi as a beacon of hope for over 120,000 inhabitants of Makanjira. 

    Speaking during a groundbreaking ceremony of the facility by President Lazarus Chakwera, Pertursdottir said once completed the facility will provide lifesaving services to mothers and children in Makanjira a hard to reach area of over 100 kilometers away from Mangochi Boma. 

    ‘‘The government of Iceland has been a steadfast partner to Malawi for 35 years with the guiding light of ‘leaving no one behind’.

    “As such construction of Makanjira state of the art maternity ward is a clear testimony to the effort of providing health care access to people living in hard-to-reach areas and is one of the pillar stones of Iceland funded health programming in Mangochi,’’ she said. 

     ‘‘As Iceland government, we observed that communities in Makanjira were facing limited access to essential health services resulting in significant number of maternal and neonatal mortalities. With an operating theatre, the mothers with obstetric complications will no longer have to seek services at Mangochi district hospital,” she said.

    Petursdottir said Iceland has previously supported Malawi in improving social service delivery in Mangochi with construction of maternity wing at Mangochi District Hospital, Monkey Bay Community Hospital, as well as construction of 28 health posts in rural areas. 

    Speaking earlier, Senior Chief Makanjira thanked the State President for travelling on road from Mangochi Boma to the area, a distance of over 100 kilometers, in order for him to appreciate the condition of the road.

    The road from Mangochi Boma to Makanjira is in bad state following the effects of Tropical Cyclone Freddy that damaged most of bridges of the road.

    In his remarks, Member of Parliament for Mangochi North Constituency, Benedicto Chambo commended Chakwera for the project of extending Makanjira health centre, saying more women and children were dying on the road on their way to access maternal services at Mangochi District Hospital. 

    ‘‘Most women have have been delivering on the road and others have died on their way to Mangochi hospital, due to the long distance to the hospital, as well as unavailability of most crucial services at Makanjira health centre.’’

    ‘‘As such, the coming in of the antenatal, labour and post-natal wards at our health facility will help us to avoid going to Mangochi Boma, as we will be served right here in our area,’’ said Chambo.

    Construction of the new Makanjira maternity will include a life-saving operating theatre, antenatal, labour and post-natal wards as well as a high dependency unit for newborns. Supporting buildings will be laboratory, ex-ray room, mortuary, office block and laundry room. 

    Reported By Bishop Witmos

     

  • Fight against TB in mines gathers pace

    Fight against TB in mines gathers pace

    Blantyre district, home to more than 1,337,500 people, features nine mining establishments, encompassing both artisanal and small-scale as well as large-scale operations.

    Primarily engaged in quarry and lime mining, these facilities have regrettably served as vulnerable points for the spread of tuberculosis (TB) among workers and neighboring communities, largely because health and safety precautions were infrequently or never observed.

    Malawi’s 2015–2020 National Strategic Plan (NSP) for TB prioritized several crucial interventions such as annual routine TB screening for miners and the provision of training to health workers employed in mining companies, to ensure their active involvement in TB screening and management.

    It is against such a solid foundation that the 2021-25 NSP for TB aims to achieve, among its goals, a reduction of 50 percent in the incidence of TB and a reduction of 75 percent in mortality rates by the conclusion of the plan, as compared to the rates recorded in 2015.

    The Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) has made every effort to ensure it attains these objectives.

    Mary Ngulama, Blantyre District TB Officer (DTO), explains that with support from the Southern Africa Tuberculosis and Health Systems Support (SATBHSS) and the World Bank, Blantyre DHO has been conducting regular inspections in various working places to ensure that workers are not exposed to dust.

    Apart from inspections, Ministry of Health personnel, with the assistance of volunteers, also conduct periodic testing of mine workers as well as people in surrounding communities.

    Blantyre DHO has 45 health facilities, out of which 40 are TB centres. Among these 40 centres, 27 serve as sputum collection points, which are operated by about 300 volunteers, according Ngulama.

    “This has helped a lot in case finding in mines as well as increased adherence to health safety measures within the facilities. Over the past period, we have seen TB cases declining due to a good relationship between management and health workers in as far as safety is concerned,” Ngulama says.

    In 2022, Blantyre DHO registered 22 cases from the mines; it registered none from January to September 2023.

    “The decrease is attributed to the good relationship between us and the companies’ management. They have opened up to us, especially health surveillance assistants (HSAs) and volunteers who go and inspect their facilities. This is unlike in 2015 when we started engaging them when it was like a cat-and-mouse chase,” she states.

    In the neighboring district of Chiradzulu, their success is significant as they have not recorded an incidence of TB cases in mines over the past two years, according to DTO Patrick Chikuni.

    With a population of over 390,000 people, the district has four mines — one formal and three informal. It has 15 health facilities, out of which 13 are TB registration sites and 11 are microscopic sites. The district has 440 volunteers who are manning 44 sputum collecting sites.

    Chikuni explains that each TB registration site has two HSAs, a clinician and a nurse.

    “Some of these centers are close to mining sites, which makes it easier for health personnel and volunteers to reach out to the workers. And the relationship we have had has helped a lot,” he said.

    Quarry Manager Chiraa Kotadia

    One of the largest mining companies in the district is Terrastone Malawi. Located at Njuli, with 28 full time employees, the company produces 800 tonnes of quarry per day depending on demand, according to Quarry Manager Chiraa Kotadia.

    The company has been working hand-in-hand with Chiradzulu DHO, the Ministry of Labour and mine officials on health safety measures for its employees.

    “Since we started working hand-in-hand with these officials, we have always followed standard operations procedures like conducting TB screening twice a year for our employees. We have a safety office whose mandate is to make sure that all measures are being followed within the company. The officer in charge of the office underwent training related to occupational safety and health and first aid.

    “Above all, we regularly conduct refresher meetings for our employees as one way of reminding them of putting on personal protection equipment [PPE] during work,” said Kotadia.

    The company, he adds, has never registered a TB case in the past four years.

    Despite this progress, Chikuni notes that there are still many obstacles to overcome, including some employees’ reluctance to use PPEs even though their employers provide it, the inefficiency of some dust control methods, carelessness brought on by outdated mine safety laws, and neglect of hard-to-reach areas for small-scale miners.

     

  • Macro enhances the fight against HIV and AIDS in Mzimba North

    Macro enhances the fight against HIV and AIDS in Mzimba North

    Malawi AIDS Counseling and Resource Organisation (Macro) has joined other stakeholders in enhancing the fight against HIV and AIDS in Mzimba through its five- year Intensifying Malawi’s and Key Populations’ Access to Community HIV Testing Services and Treatment (Impact) Project.

    Speaking Wednesday in Mzuzu when he brief stakeholders on the project which is expected to run up to 2028, Macro’s Director of Programs, Patrick Mbulaje, said the project will target men between the ages of 20 to 39.

    “We intend to reach out through both static and outreach services to men, however, the project will not deny other people services as our main goal is to supplement government efforts in reducing HIV transmission and its impact in the country,” said Mbulaje.

    He added that the project will focus on HIV testing, prevention, treatment and care services which will include provision of condoms, lubricants Anti Retrieval Viral Therapy and viral load monitoring among others depending on one’s HIV status.

    “We will also through the project strengthen monitoring and reporting systems and other health related services besides promoting person -centered HIV prevention approaches for our targeted and key populations,” he said.

    Mbulaje also said that records indicate that men’s access to HIV and AIDS services is low as compared to women, hence targeting them.

    “We understand that the majority of them would say that they are always busy at their workplaces especially in the case of urban settings and to address this, the project will also take services to workplaces as we ponder on how we can work with private clinics on the project,” added Mbulaje.

    Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for Mzuzu City Monica Malota, commended Macro for including Mzimba North as one of the benefiting districts of the project.

    “This project will go a long way in contributing towards our efforts in ensuring good health amongst the residents of Mzuzu City and Mzimba North. We therefore applaud Macro for the intervention,” said Malota.

    She then advised stakeholders to work hand in hand with Macro for smooth implementation of the project which is being funded by Centre for Disease Control.

     

     

     

     

  • NBM donates K91million to QECH for cancer equipment 

    NBM donates K91million to QECH for cancer equipment 

    National Bank of Malawi (NBM) Plc has donated K91 million to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) towards the purchase of a chemistry analyzer that will help treat cancer quickly in children.

    In his speech after presenting a symbolic cheque to the Ministry of Health and QECH through Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda on Tuesday, NBM Chief Executive Officer Macfussy Kawawa said the donation is a significant milestone in the Bank’s journey of making meaningful corporate social investments.

    “This high-tech equipment will contribute significantly to diagnosing and treating children with cancer here at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, and it symbolizes our commitment to improving the healthcare infrastructure in Malawi. It may be a small step, but we believe it is a very meaningful one, toward the effort of ensuring that every child in this nation has access to the care they deserve.”

    “Let this donation also be a testament to the fact that corporate success is not just about the profits we report but also about the positive change we can bring to the world around us. This is our philosophy at NBM,” said Kawawa.

    In her remarks, Kandodo Chiponda commended NBM plc for clearly demonstrating being the ‘Bank of the Nation’ by coming forward with the donation.

    “This is a timely donation as you are aware that the burden of cancer in Malawi is quite high, especially among children, you cannot give proper treatment if you can’t diagnose properly. That is why diagnosis is a very important step in the treatment of any disease, not just cancer.”

    “The help from National Bank is going to assist us in getting this state-of-the-art equipment which will help a lot in the diagnosis of cancers in children and help the hospital treat the children properly,” said Chiponda.

    In the past, NBM also helped the referral hospital by refurbishing the Orthopedics and TB wards.

  • Health minister calls for serious investment in mental health

    Health minister calls for serious investment in mental health

    Zomba, October 11: Minister of Heath Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda has called for serious investment in mental health saying trauma and stresses that people go through in their daily lives deserves serious medical attention.
    She made the remarks at the commemoration of Mental Health Day at Zomba Mental Hospital where the mental health facility also commemorated 50 years of providing psychiatric services.
    Chiponda also observed that cases of mental health have increased tremendously for the past few years due to a number of factors.
    “We have not invested much on mental health and going around the country one will see that we don’t have enough mental facilities. Time has come for us to have mental health facilities in all the regions,” the minister said, adding that this should be another area to priortise.
    She noted that mental health was escalating due to the coming in of social media platforms and other electronic products that have pushed people to consume more stressful materials and appealed to Malawians not to hide issues but rather speak out to avoid stress that could easily lead to mental health problems.
    Chiponda commended Zomba Mental Hospital for being central in providing mental health services for many years.
    World Health Organization (WHO) representative, Dr Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo acknowledged the need for the country to invest in mental issues, saying there is more evidence that Malawi has not done much despite having rising cases of mental health.
    Dr. Kimambo said WHO is committed through various ways and means to support Malawi government’s efforts in investing in mental health.
    Reported by Solister Mogha
  • Baylor appeals for continued global support

    Baylor appeals for continued global support

    Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation has appealed for ongoing global commitment to continue providing, consistent resources to help improve retention, adherence and viral load suppression for children and adolescents living with HIV in Malawi.

    The foundation’s executive director, Phoebe Nyasulu made the appeal on Tuesday when Norwegian young politicians visited Baylor college clinical centre of excellence for paediatric care in Lilongwe.

    Nyasulu said, there is need for continued innovative programming, new formulations like fixed-dose combinations for younger children and long-acting injectable ARVs, and a commitment to seeing children and adolescents through a lifetime of care.

    “You have heard about our approach to adolescents with HIV through our teen club model which cares for and provides services to our adolescents who are going through critical and sensitive time of youth transition from childhood to adulthood,” She said.

    ” We are working to apply our model of longitudinal care for HIV to all children and adolescents managing chronic illness which we know is a top concern for the global fund” she said,

    In his remarks, chief of party for global fund grants, World Vision Malawi Dr. Bizwik Mwale appealed for more support from well-wishers to support Baylor and other organisations that are supporting children and adolescents living with HIV.

    ” We wish we had enough resources in order to increase our allocation to Baylor but also to support others who are doing teen club programming. Currently, we are supporting teen club programming in 14 districts. We wish we had more resources so as to reach to each and every adolescent.

    ” We are happy that the Norwegian young politicians have visited Malawi to appreciate the investment which the Norwegian government is making through the global fund to Malawi. And we believe that the visit will help in continued global support,” He said,

    During the visit, the adolescents living with HIV shared their testimonies on how teen club programming is helping them to live positively and also showcased their talents and skills.

    Reported By Sellah Singini