By Raphael Likaka
Member of Parliament for Chikwawa West Susan Dossi says the poor state of the road to Chapananga in Chikwawa is denying constituents access to health services and barring them from trading their agricultural produce and merchandise.
Dossi told the Malawi24 that things are worse such that people in the area are struggling to find basic needs and to access health services due to the bad road.
She added that expectant women are among those that are struggling to access health care services after being referred from Chapananga Health Center to Chikwawa District Hospital for further medical attention.
Apart from this, Dossi said emergency relief items are failing to reach the intended beneficiaries whose houses were destroyed by stormy rains.
“Expectant women face a lot of problems whenever they are referred from Chapananga Health Center to Chikwawa District Hospital,” the Parliamentarian added.
Yesterday, the parliamentarian wore a sackcloth in Parliament to bring attention to the poor state of the road.
Dossi had discussions with Minister of Transport, Jacob Hara, and the minister assured her that Tonse Alliance Government will fix the road soon because the road is already on the list of roads to be rehabilitated.
According to the Parliamentarian, Hara assured her that he will inspect the road at Chapananga to see the situation and how it is impacting on people’s livelihood.
Speaking on the issue, Area Development Committee (ADC) chairperson in Chikwawa West, Lazarus Sinoya, said people in the area are facing a lot of problems such that economic activities have been compromised by the poor road condition.
He added that the poor road condition in Chikwawa West has also affected health services because expectant women are equally affected to the extent that the expectant women deliver at home instead of delivering at Chikwawa District Hospital.
The ADC chairperson therefore appealed to government to rehabilitate the road to end mobility problems which people are facing in Chikwawa West.
“Let me appeal to government to act with speed to end the problem which people at Chapananga are facing,” Sinoya told Malawi24.
Chikwawa was one of the districts affected by floods due to stormy rains as a result of tropical cyclones which rendered many families homeless.
Houses collapsed many families lost crops in their gardens thereby making most households vulnerable to food and nutritional insecurity.
