Zomba District Council’s Director of Health and Social Services, Dr. Alexander Chijuwa, has called on health workers to give elderly persons special attention to ensure they receive quality care and treatment.
Dr. Chijuwa made the call at Naisi Primary School ground in Zomba where Malawi Network of Elderly Person’s Organisations (MANEPO) held advocacy campaign for the health rights of elderly persons.
He noted that other health workers fail to provide health care and treatment to the elderly persons due to lack of specialisation in caring and treating for the elderly persons.
“There are some health workers who were not adequately trained to care and treat elderly persons,” said Chijuwa.
He also called on families to provide adequate care for the elderly persons so that they should not be depressed and further called for community level development committees to allow elderly persons to participate in development activities and include them in safety nets progammes.
MANEPO executive director, Andrew Kavala, also called for the government and organisations allow the elderly persons in development programmes saying the elderly persons need to be included in all community level activities.
“MANEPO is raising awareness on the elderly persons’ rights to health care in Zomba and Mangochi districts, ” Kavala added.
He called on chiefs to formulate bylaws that should protect the elderly persons against witchcraft accusations.
Group Village head Makungula who represented the elderly persons in turn called on government to repeal laws that should protect the elderly persons against all forms of abuse and violence plus witchcraft accusations which subjects them torture and deaths.
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