Germany donates COVID-19 equipment to Dedza DHO; as World Vision Malawi assists Ntcheu

By Sellah Singini & Maston Kaiya, MANA

The German Ambassador to Malawi, Jurgen Borsch on Friday donated medical personal protective equipment (PPEs) and other supplies to Dedza District Health Office (DHO) to help the district in the fight against COVID-19. 

The items included hand sanitizers, N95 face masks for health workers and support staff, gloves, disposable aprons, pulse oximeters, liquid soap dispensers, surface disinfectant, hand washing liquid soap and tapped buckets.

Borsch said the donation is one way of helping strengthen the health system in Malawi. 

“We have started a first quick response amounting to more than MK2 billion for the COVID-19 interventions in Malawi,” he said. 

“We are refurbishing treatment and isolation centres in different hospitals; we are giving out information materials because it is very important to let everybody in the country know what we can do and how we can fight the disease.”

In addition to the COVID-19 related equipment and supplies under the Health Services Joint Fund, the German government — together with Norway — provided an additional K500 million towards the Malawi-German Health Programme which GTZ is implementing in the country. 

The additional funding is intended to strengthen public awareness, training of health workers on COVID-19 screening, contact tracing, surveillance and infection prevention in Lilongwe, Dedza, Mchinji and Ntcheu.

Dedza District Commissioner, Emmanuel Bulukutu said the donation will ease some of the challenges the health facilities in the district have been facing as they do not have enough PPEs.

World Vision Malawi was in Ntcheu where is also donated PPEs and infection prevention (IP) materials to the DHO.

The materials include hand washing water buckets, sanitizers, gloves, masks, soap and HTH chlorine worth MK4 million and

director of health services, Isaac Mbingwani the materials will be distributed to all the health facilities across the district. 

“We commend WVM for the timely donation as this will go a long way in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Ntcheu is very big with a population of around 681,000 and that is assisted with 39 health facilities,” Mbingwani said.

WVM had also supported the DHO to orient 138 community leaders, including faith leaders from Traditional Authority Ganya and Phambala and also supported the DHO to conduct public awareness. 

Mbingwani said the organization also supported the DHO to orient 135 health workers from Kasinje, Sharpevalle, Ntonda and Kapeni Health Centers.

He commended various partners in the district for supporting the districts’ preparedness and preventative work plan against spread of the Coronavirus.