People with albinism in the country have spoken out their frustrations over government’s failure to provide them with sunscreen lotion in most of the country’s public hospitals.
In October this year, people with albinism also raised similar concerns.
It is reported that since then, the government has done nothing
over the complaints a development which has angered most of the people with albinism.
According to the chairperson of the Association of People with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) Overston Kondowe, such unvailability of the lotion is a violation of their rights to accessing health services a thing which he said needs urgent address.
He said most of the country’s district hospitals have stopped buying the lotion from the Central Medical Stores, a development that has left them at risk of skin cancer.
“It’s is a very worrisome development to note that most of districts, that is almost three quarter of the public hospitals, we still don’t have the sunscreen lotion which is essential for the protection of skin from the direct sun.”
“What is known is that the central medical stores in all the regions they have a stock of this lotion however, some of the district health offices show no effort to include on their list of drugs that are procured on a monthly basis which to us is a threat and a very big blow,” worried Kondowe.
Kondowe further added that the government should now consider their concerns saying they are suffering a lot without the lotion.
He put the whole blame on some District Health Officers (DHOs) who according to him are showing no seriousness on the matter.
He said it is very worrisome that the government is showing it’s commitment to help them with the lotion but the DHOs are letting them down by not procuring the lotion.
Sunscreen lotion helps protect people with albinism from direct contact with the sun and if unavailable, albinos can suffer from skin cancer.
