By Vincent Khonje

Mchinji, October 4, Mana: Deputy Minister of Health, Halima Daudi, has hailed government and its partners' relationship to ensure that people are accessing health care services easily.

Daudi said this Thursday at Mbewa, Traditional Authority (TA) Kawere in Mchinji during the official opening of Nafuse Health Centre, which has been constructed by Our Aim Foundation (OAF).

She said the opening of the facility symbolizes collective efforts to bring health, hope and opportunity to the people of Mbewa and surrounding areas.

“As the Government, we recognize the critical role that international organizations such as OAF play in driving sustainable development.

“We are committed to fostering an environment that supports these partnerships, ensuring that together we can deliver lasting change for the benefit of our people. We are doing everything possible to collaborate with such organizations to maximize their impact and improve quality of life for all Malawians,” Daudi said.

She encouraged communities of Mbewa Village and surrounding areas to take care of the facility.

“This facility belongs to you; it is a vital resource for everyone in this community. Together we must ensure that it is cared for, maintained, and respected so that it may continue to serve not just today’s generation but future generations as well,” she said.

TA Kawere said the facility has come in at the right time as people used to travel long distances to access health services.

“This facility has eased problems people here used to face. The nearest health facilities are just too far for people especially women with babies,” said TA Kawere.

OAF President, Nisha Mandani, said after seeing that women were going very far to get medical help for their children they thought of helping so that they can get medical services easily.

“The closest health facility is 30 kilometres away and it is difficult for women to get medical help there. We decided to put the health facility here so that we ease the burden of distance,” said Mandani.

The facility, which will be serving over 1,000 people surrounding it, will be offering crucial services like maternity care, immunizations and check-ups.

Further, it will be providing emergency services and help combat prevalent diseases like malaria and other waterborne diseases.

OAF is a non-profit organization that has been assisting communities living in multi-generational poverty across countries in South Asia, Africa, as well as regions in the United States of America for the past 15 years.