By George Mponda

Karonga, April 10, Mana: Construction of a K97 million Ngerenge Dispensary in the area of Senior Chief Kilupula in Karonga has excited communities who have been traveling long distances to access basic medical care, often facing challenges along the way.

The dispensary, which has been constructed with Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) funds, includes two staff houses to provide accommodation for healthcare workers.

Speaking with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Wednesday, Grievance Committee Chairperson for Ngerenge Dispensary, William Mapunga, said the facility will bring the much needed healthcare services closer to home.

"People were travelling almost eight kilometres to get to Kiwe Health Centre but once opened, the dispensary will serve as a vital lifeline for the community, providing essential medical care and improving overall health in the communities," Mapunga said.

Echoing the sentiments, Mariana Simutowe from Giliya Village, Senior Chief Kilupula said the dispensary will help a lot of women who trekked long distances to neighboring Kasoba and Kiwe health facilities.

"For many of us, we cannot afford transport which is almost K20, 000 to and from the Health Centres. Things will change now because Ngerenge Dispensary is within a walkable distance," said Simutowe.

Acting Director of Planning and Development for Karonga District Council, Khumbo Mkandawire, said their aim is to implement full package projects, which will improve service delivery in communities by bringing development closer to people.

Mkandawire said: "We have been constructing health facilities with staff houses in areas where people were complaining of long distances, we have also constructed schools in areas which are remote and in the process, we have improved school enrollment in the district."

"When implementing these protects we work together with the communities from the time the contractor is introduced to them to the end. We have project management committees which comprise community members and they help in monitoring the projects to ensure they are of high standards,” she added.

Mkandawire, however, lamented the devaluation of the Kwacha, failure of contractors to complete projects on time and delays in receiving funding from the central government as some of the challenges they faced during implementation.