By Rennie Tembo

Lilongwe, June 4, Mana: Minister of Health, Khumbidze Kandodo Chiponda has expressed satisfaction with the commitment and quality health service delivery that Biwi Health Centre in Lilongwe is providing to the general community.

Chiponda made the remarks on Tuesday, when she made a surprise visit to the health facility and found that they have already successfully vaccinated over 6,000 children against measles, against their initial target of 9,500 children.

The Minister stated that for a country to succeed in delivering healthcare services, it needs dedicated and goal-oriented workers.

''The measles campaign was launched last month, and within two days, this center managed to vaccinate 6, 000 children. This only demonstrates commitment, good planning, and strong relationship with the community that this center has and a testament to the hard work of these healthcare workers,” she said.

Chiponda urged mothers and guardians to bring their children for vaccination, as the government aims to eliminate the disease from the country.

 ''To our mothers, I ask you to please bring your children for vaccination, it is an important step in protecting their health and preventing the further spread of measles, your role is vital in keeping our community safe and healthy,” she said.

She then condemned the act of stealing drugs in hospitals, saying the vice is becoming rampant, and warned that anyone found engaging in the behavior will face the long arm of the law.

Biwi Health Centre Clinical Officer In-Charge, Ella Khaiya Lungu, thanked the Minister for visiting the facility saying it has an encouragement to members of staff.

"Your visit has been a morale booster and our aim is to deliver the best possible service to the people because this is what we've been called to do.

“We have succeeded because we planned well, we informed the community about the importance of the vaccine before it arrived, so the people were ready to bring their children for vaccination since they already knew how important the vaccine was for their children’s health,” she said.

Malawi has since reported 683 measles cases since October 2024 and is conducting a five-day vaccination campaign in six districts, namely:  Nkhotakota, Salima, Ntcheu, Mangochi, Blantyre and Lilongwe.