Feasibility study for new Dowa hospital excites MP

Dowa South East Parliamentarian Harry Njoka Chipeni has thanked government for conducting a feasibility study for the construction of the new Dowa District Hospital in the district.

Njoka said the development is good news to all the people of the district since the hospital construction project had been missing in the National Budget for years.

Funds for the feasibility study for the new Dowa District Hospital’s are available in this year’s budget with land already identified near the Red Cross National training centre, a site which has 51 hectares of land.

Mapping has already been done and sent to the Ministry of Health.

In 2015, during a full council meeting held at the Dowa boma the then Minister of Health now Minister of Gender, Children, Disabilities and Social Welfare, Dr. Jean Kalilani assured the council members that the money meant for the construction of the new Dowa District Hospital was available and what remained was the chiefs of the district to work together in identifying a suitable place for the construction of the new hospital in the district.

Senior Chief Msakambewa told the meeting that a place was identified at the Dzaleka refugees camp where refugees and asylum seekers are being hosted by the Government of Malawi.

Msakambewa East ward councillor, Martin Luka Phiri, who at that time was the council’s chair protested heavily that constructing the new District Hospital at Dzaleka will be a double punishment to the people of the hard to reach area, Matekenya, who already walks long distances to access medical services at the present Dowa District Hospital.

However, at a meeting of the Friends of Dowa held at the Dowa 1 primary school in the district it was resolved that the new District Hospital be built at a place where the former UDF leader and Head of State, Dr.Bakili Muluzi laid a foundation stone for the hospital in 1997.

The Concerned Citizen group assured people of the district that it will put pressure to the government in power to have the new District Hospital at the Red Cross National Training Centre which is within easy reach of the people of Matekenya and at least close to the present Dowa District Hospital.

Meanwhile, Friends of Dowa’s lead advisor, Mr. Boxer Mnjale Chisale, has commended government for taking politics out of the new hospital construction project in the district.