Malawi govt to construct a new Balaka District Hospital
Government is said to have plans to construct a new Balaka District Hospital.
This comes amid out cries from the people in the district that the current district hospital is small and not befitting to be called a district hospital.
District Commissioner for Balaka, Rodrick Mateauma disclosed that they have received a letter from the Ministry of Health to locate a place where the district hospital will be constructed.
He viewed that, “This is encouraging news as u may be aware that the district does not have a district hospital. Government did not build one when Balaka became a district in 1999.
“What we call a district hospital today used to be a leprosy hospital and was donated to government by the Montfort white fathers of the Roman Catholic Church upon moving their hospital to Utale 2 where they treat their patients up to now,” Mateauma pointed out.
The DC explained that, “The letter has stipulated that we find a possible place where experts could come for a feasibility study. I am aware that there is money in the 2017-2018 fiscal year that was set aside for the study to determine if the place is viable for the construction of the district hospital.
“As I am speaking now, we have managed to secure 6.4 hectors of land at Group Village Headman Mpulula where we feel the hospital could be. We are just waiting for the experts to come and do the feasibility study,” he said
The current Balaka District Hospital serve a population of over 500,000 people, and once the new hospital takes shape, it will ease problems of congestion.
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when is this government going to construct Dowa district hospital
Its better to use that money to strengthen primary health care system (health centres). we need to be bringing health services closer to the people and not vice-versa. Universal health coverage will not be achieved with the centralised health care delivery model.