Amref Health Africa-Malawi mobilizes K40m worth of medical supplies for combating cholera in Malawi
Amref Health Africa-Malawi has mobilized K40 million worth of medical supplies for combating the raging cholera outbreak in six districts of Balaka, Chikwawa, Machinga, Mangochi, Lilongwe and Zomba.
The organization on Thursday handed over some of the supplies to the Lilongwe District Health Office.
Amref Health Africa-Malawi Country Director, Hester Mkwinda Nyasulu, said the donation was in response to the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 and Cholera for organizations and the private sector to partner with the Malawi Government in combating the outbreak.
“We are very grateful to our donors – Bread for the World – who have made supported us to make this donation. They are supporting us in various interventions and we feel greatly favoured to receive another donation towards the cholera fight,” said Nyasulu.
He expressed hope that the donation will bolster Malawi’s response to the pandemic, which continues to claims lives both in urban and rural areas.
In her remarks, Lilongwe District’s Acting Director of Health and Social Services, Dr. Thokozani Liwewe, said the district has registered an ‘exponential rise in cholera cases over the past two months’.
Liwewe said with meagre resources, this has put her office in an awkward position to respond to the disease.
“You can imagine the needs that are there to contain the pandemic. Every patient needs five litres of ringers lactate, yet our office cannot manage that. We are doing our best, but there are limitations,” she said.
Dr. Liwewe said the donation Amref Health Africa-Malawi has made will save “not just a life, but many lives”.
“We are particularly indebted to Amref Health Africa-Malawi for responding. The call for support went to all the organizations, but not many have responded. So, we don’t take this donation for granted,” she emphasized.
