Malawi Network of Older Persons Organisation (MANEPO) has launched a four year project called Building Inclusive and Comprehensive Health Care Structures for elderly people with K500 million support from BMZ from Germany to be implemented in Zomba, Machinga and Balaka.
MANEPO Executive Director, Andrew Kavala disclosed this at Bisa Primary School, T/A Nkula in Machinga during the Germany BMZ funded project that seeks to provide needed care for elderly people once they visit health facilities in the three targeted districts.
He said it was the wish of MANEPO to see well qualified health personnel providing quality healthcare to elderly people in the country’s health facilities and to ensure provision of formal and informal appropriate age friendly health services among older men and women with disability, NCD, and HIV.
Kavala further wished that older people should not be in the queue for longer waiting to receive medical attention on non-communicable diseases and other illnesses.
“Let me appeal to health personnel that they should pay much attention to older people whenever they visit health facilities to seek medical care,” the MANEPO Executive Director said, adding that quality medical care is guaranteed unless older people are give special attention.
Machinga Council, Deputy Chairperson, Councilor, Denister Makunganya welcomed the project saying this will help to improve medical care for elderly people in health facilities.
He hailed MANEPO for advocating for the rights of the elderly people in many aspects such as championing protection of elderly people against all forms of violence and abuse.
Director of Health and Social Services in Machinga, Dr. Jones Chise said the project will help to build capacity of health workers in providing care for the elderly people in various health facilities.
He also expressed hope that the project will help to improve infrastructures in health facilities so that they should be user friendly for the elderly people.
