Atupele prompt on Mangochi Hospital fire: ‘Working on contigency plan’

Minister of Health Atupele Muluzi is in Mangochi leading a high level government team to assess the damage caused by fire that gutted Mangochi District Hospital.

He arrived at the hospital at 5:30pm on Sunday and was taken around to look at the extent of the damage and the immediate needs of the hospital.

Muluzi said people should not panic because all services at the hospital have been restored.

He also tweeted: “My thanks to all the brave staff and volunteers who contained the fire at Mangochi DH. No casualties and all patients are safe. Working on contigency plans now to maintain care for local residents.”

Both Mangochi District Health spokesperson Harold Kabuluzu and Ministry of Health spokesperson Joshua Malango said they suspect an electrical fault as the cause of the fire  which left some patients scampering for life as locals evacuated the patients who could not get away from the wards on their own.

District Health Officer Dr. Henry Chibowa said some of the critical patients have since been transferred to Cham-run Mkoche health centre and government-run Monkey Bay Hospital.

Chibowa said a lot of equipment and other property have been damaged as people through them away from the hospital and other property was burned completely in the inferno.

“We have managed to account for each and every patient who run away from the wards due to the fire. Some of the patients, who could not be discharged, have been transferred to health centres,” said Chibowa.

Police spokesperson in Mangochi, Rodrick Maida paid tribute to the locals, saying they risked their lives to get into the raging fires in order to rescue patients who were in the hospital wards.

After the locals put down the fire and there were no casualties, questions are now been asked why the council does not have a running fire engine which could have helped put down the fire.

Mangochi town council chairperson Omar Magombo said it was high time the council owned its own fire engine instead of relying one from Zomba City Council.

There was no official from Mangochi Town Council for an immediate comment.

One of the residents who helped put out the fire said the incident started when a health worker switched on genset to help a patient who was on oxygen in the male ward and after switching it on, Escom power was also restored.