These concerns were stated after youth leaders under Chiwalo Youth Network revealed scorecard findings on three projects to the different stakeholders in the area with support from NDI Malawi through Phalombe Youth Arms Organisation.
In an interview, one of the youth champions Lazarus Mapeto said during the exercise they learnt that an ambulance which was assigned to be helping patients at Nambazo Health Centre was withdrawn and also that despite being assured people of the area are yet to see the upgraded road.
“People were told that will have good road from Migowi up to here through ASWAP but up until now nothing has been done. There was also an ambulance which was allocated to our health facility but we’ve found that it was withdrawn,” said Mapeto who is also the chairperson of the network.
Group Village Headwoman Nambazo in a separate interview said people in the area suffer whenever they fall sick and get a referral to another facility as they have to use motorbikes and moving at a low speed because of the bumpy road.
“They’ve to bring back the ambulance, we are suffering a lot when they refer us to another facility, these motorbikes and bicycles aren’t helping us because of our road which is in the sorry state,” she said.
When asked about the matter of an ambulance, Director of Health and Social Services for the district Sam Sibakwe told the press that the problem is due to shortage of staff in the transportation department.
Sibakwe says the district’s health office has only five drivers against seven ambulances which are available.
