Blantyre quarantine facility short of beds: Appeal for support

Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) is appealing to partners to assist the office with beds to be used at the quarantine facility at Kameza in the district.

Meanwhile, the facility has only 10 beds.

Blantyre District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr. Miriam Jere revealed on Friday of the facility’s situation during a stakeholders’ meeting which attracted a cross section of health partners.

“There are only 10 beds at the facility and in the event that there are a number of COVID-19 confirmed cases, we will have a big problem to accommodate them. We are, therefore, calling upon stakeholders to assist us with additional beds as well as tents so that we are good to go,” said Jere.

Additionally, the DMO described lack of fuel as another challenge affecting the disease fight as the facility had no electricity hence, using generators.

She said “We need over 30 litres of diesel per day for the generator and it’s really costly. We also need fuel to pick up suspected patients at health facilities such Mwaiwathu and Blantyre Adventist Hospitals, therefore need for collaborated efforts.”

She then commended the partners for the good coordination, team work and active surveillance saying this has made the sensitization work easier.

The DHO has so far managed to orient workers and business people from different organizations such as Maone Kriss Offset and Limbe Market.

Partners present at the meeting included One Community, Population Services International (PSI), Pakachere, Story Workshop and Medicines San Frontiers.

Apart from Kameza, there are also quarantine facilities in Mchinji, Karonga, Skin Centre at Kamuzu Central Hospital, Mzuzu Central Hospital and Mwanza.