Chakwera condemns beating of  ambulance drivers, says Malawi Covid vaccine for health workers delay

President Lazarus Chakwera has said the  delivery of Covid-19 vaccines for frontline health  workers has delayed for seven days but said the country was  on course for roll out of the vaccination process in March with delivery of 1.5 million doses expected this month end.

Chakwera  commended efforts from several partners, including the Covid-19 Private Citizens Response—an initiative by two Malawians in Diaspora Stanley Kenani and Thandiwe Hara—and others for being part of the solution.

Chakwera said when he delivered the seventh National Address on the War on Covid-19 at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe that government’s long-term strategy for returning all  aspects of the society to normal includes the roll out of  a vaccine to protect the general population.

“The African Union’s Envoy on Africa’s Response to Covid-19 has  guaranteed us 100,000 vaccines for frontline health  workers. Although the delivery of that consignment has  been delayed by 7 days, we are on track to receive it by  the end of this month along with 1.5 million doses of the  vaccine that we expect to receive around the same time,” said Chakwera.

He continued: “ This means that sometime in the month of March, a  vaccination program will be rolled out across the  country to ensure that this dark night of daily Covid-19  deaths eventually comes to an end.”

Chakwera strongly condemn the recent beating of ambulance drivers and  health personnel during their routine delivery of the  remains of those who died of Covid-19.

“It is to the credit  of our health workers that we are able to bury those who  die of Covid-19 in a way that does not expose the living  to infection. It is also to their credit that we take  comfort in the recovery of 2,861 people in the past week.  No attack on our health personnel will be tolerated,” the President said.

Chakwera also commended efforts from several partners, including the Covid-19 Private Citizens Response—an initiative by two Malawians in Diaspora Stanley Onjezani  Kenani and Thandiwe Hara Msulira—and others for being part of the solution.

“I commend them for the example they have set to other citizens of how to be part of the solution instead  of thinking that Government has all the solutions, as  well as the example they have set to those in the Civil Service of how to render a public service in a manner  that is accountable and collaborative,” said the Malawi leader.

Chakwera said it has given him “hope” that  the civil service systems review team led by Vice-president Saulos Chilima will draw lessons from such private sector initiatives in its quest to redesign the civil service towards greater efficiency and accountability.

The country had registered 30742 positive cases and 1013 deaths as of yesterday.

In the past week, 54 people died of Covid-19 while 2 861 recovered. The positivity rate stood at 15 percent, still higher than the targeted below five percent.

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Russie
Russie
3 years ago

Transparency and honesty in diagnosis of suspected covid patients is lacking in the health system. What makes matters worse is the poor or lack of attention given to covid patients. In most hospitals covid patients die because they don’t get required attention from health personnel especially when allowances for previous visits to isolation wards are in arrears or nonexistent. People get angry with health staff because they have made covid a money making scheme through allowances. If there are no allowances associated to the case they give less or no attention at all. People also know that when the health… Read more »

Zex
Zex
3 years ago

Alhamdulillah

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