Authorities in Balaka District say they anticipate tremendous progress in the provision of healthcare services to the communities following the construction of additional health facilities in the district.
The district council has in the 2023/2024 fiscal year constructed several health facilities with financial support from the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) and Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Some of the remarkable projects include the Nkaya health post in the area of Traditional Authority Nkaya and the Mulunguzi health post in the area of Traditional Authority Phalula.
The facilities have been constructed with K91.8 million and K92.9 million GESD funds respectively. The council has also upgraded Chimatiro health post to a fully-fledged health centre following the construction of a K67.3 million maternity wing at the facility.
Long distances coupled with unbearable road conditions are said to be a major blow in access to timely healthcare services for people in these areas.
For instance, communities in the area of Traditional Authority Nkaya fail to access timely health care as they have to trek almost 20 kilometers to the nearest Utale 1 health centre.
According to Yassin Paoneke, Senior Disease Control and Surveillance Assistant in the area, since 2022, the area has witnessed 36 preventable deaths, as people died on their way to the nearest health facility.
He has since described the construction of the health post as a milestone in enhancing quality healthcare services in these areas.
“At Utale1 health centre, patients pay to access services while Phimbi Health centre is far away but they have to foot costs for the travel. Therefore, the coming in of the health post means that patients will be getting medical attention right here before they seek further assistance
somewhere else,” said Paoneke.
The council has also constructed under-five clinics in the area of Senior Chief Inkosi Chamnthunya and Traditional Authority Nkaya using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Speaking on Friday during the technical handover of the projects, the Director of Health and Social Services for Balaka District Council, Dr. Chimwemwe Thambo said the additional health facilities will reduce the pressure that exists on the already available health structures.
Dr. Thambo said: “Distance to health facilities has been a challenge, especially in the rainy season as it cripples access to health facilities. The additional health facilities will therefore help communities to get immediate medical treatment before their condition worsens.”
He further said this is in line with the Ministry of Health philosophy that from a household, a family should be able to walk not more than 5 kilometers to the nearest healthcare facility to receive medical help.
Director of Planning and Development for Balaka District Council, Chris Nawata described the projects as responsive to challenges facing the communities.
Nawata stressed that as a council, they are implementing various development projects based on three approaches; functionality, complete package, and quality.
GESD is a US$100 million World Bank project meant to strengthen district councils, institutions’ performance, responsiveness to citizens, and management of resources for service delivery.
