By George Mponda

Karonga, April 30, Mana: Facility-in-Charge for Mwenilondo Health Centre in Karonga, Ruth Gumbo has hailed construction of a K23 million staff house for creating room for an extra nurse at the facility.

In an interview on Monday, a clinical technician at the facility, located along the M1 Road in Paramount Chief Kyungu's area, she said before the construction of the staff house, she was working day and night shifts.

Gumbo said that, "The health facility has a catchment area of more than 11,000 people but we serve clients from far areas like Mwambuli, Lupembe, Ipyana and travellers using the M1 Road who patronize the facility which made my job tough."

"But now, with the construction of this house, a nurse was assigned to the health centre and and we are working together. Although there is still need for more houses but atleast now I have a colleague who is helping serve alot of clients who come here," she added.

Gumbo appealed to government, non-governmental organisations and philanthropists to keep on supporting the facility in order to meet the growing healthcare needs of the community around it.

Chairperson for Mwenilondo Health Centre Management Commitee (HCMC), Chancy Kayira said due to lack of staff houses, service delivery at the facility was poor as it was exhausting for one clinician to attend to patients during day and night.

“Other staff members lived far from the facility like at Ipyana and Karonga Boma which made them not able to attend to patients, particularly pregnant women and children at night," he said.

According to the Acting Director of Public Works for Karonga District Council, Yamikani Bokosi, the staff house was constructed with about K23 million Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) funds.

Goal 3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seeks to ensure that signatory countries, including Malawi, achieve good health and wellbeing for its citizens especially access to primary health care at all levels, by 2030.