By Blackson Mkupatira:
Member of Parliament for Dedza East Constituency Patrick Bandawe has appealed to well-wishers in the district to intervene in the fight against cholera in his area, saying the situation is getting out of hand.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Tuesday, Bandawe said currently five health centres in his constituency have been greatly affected by the outbreak and are failing to provide quality treatment due to resource constraints.
“For example, at Golomoti health center patients are sleeping on the floor because of inadequate beds. The facility does not have drip stands and enough medecine so it is becoming hard to treat patients,” he said.
He therefore appealed to various organisations and well-wishers in the district to provide urgent support, saying this will save a lot of lives.
On her part, Senior Chief Kachindamoto urged people in her area to promote household hygiene so that their families should be protected from the pandemic.
She also urged people to seek help from health officials when showing cholera symptoms other than just relying on traditional medicine.
Dedza District Health Office Health Promotion Officer Mwayi Liyabunya said the outbreak has affected 13 health centers under Traditional Authority Kachindamoto. He said currently 33 patients are being treated in nine health centers.
“We need help with tents, chroline, drip stands, medicine and other logistical arrangements to fully contain the outbreak,” he said.
Dedza has registered 1547 confirmed cases since its first case on November 4, 2022. So far 63 people have died from the outbreak.
