Parliamentary Committee on Health asks public to trust COVID-19 laboratory results

By Blessings Kapina & Daniel Namwini, MANA

Chairperson of Parliamentary Committee on Health, Dr. Matthews Ngwale has appealed to trust the concerted efforts by the Government and all stakeholders to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, that include the laboratory tests that are being done to determine if suspected patients have the virus or not.

Ngwale, at a media briefing in Lilongwe on Friday, was reacting to isolated social media reports, which suggested that some of the confirmed cases are false with the recent case of Kaliyeka in Lilongwe where 10 cases were confirmed positive.

He said the committee was assisted by ActionAid to visit entry points of Chileka and Kamuzu International Airports as well as border posts of Mwanza and Mchinji, two hospitals (Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and Mchinji District Hospital) and the testing centre at Community Health Science Unit (CHSU) in Lilongwe for them to be appraised on the efforts being done as serious surveillance on the pandemic.

“Our visit to Community Health Science Unit was meant to appreciate the operations of the testing facility,” Ngwale said. “I want to assure the nation that our visit has shown that we have professionals working there and as such the test results should be trusted.”

Malawians to desist from politicising the Coronavirus situation but rather join hands in the fight against the pandemic.

He said COVID-19 has attacked the world and Malawi is no exception hence the need for concerted efforts in the fight against the pandemic.

“Countries have closed borders because of the seriousness of the pandemic. As such it is not right to say that the Malawi cases are not a true reflection of the situation on the ground,” he said.

Ngwale, therefore, emphasised on the need for seriousness in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and not play politics but rather raise awareness about the pandemic especially for the rural masses.

He applauded government for the efforts it has put in place in fighting against the pandemic despite challenges faced. 

However, Ngwale also condemned the use of unchartered routes when people are coming into the country, saying this poses a threat of registering more cases of Coronavirus.

“Though Mchinji and Mwanza border posts among others were closed to avoid the spread of COVID-19, people are still using unchartered routes when coming into the country,” Ngwale said.

He said those who use unchartered routes do not have any prevention facilities and do not undergo the screening at the borders fueling the further spread of the pandemic in the country.

Chairperson for Parliamentary Social and Community Affairs Committee, Savel Kafwafwa was pleased with Mwanza border because of the well-coordinated response plan among all the agencies.

“They deploy Immigration Department, Malawi Revenue Authority, Malawi Police Service, Ministry of Health and Population and Road Traffic Directorate to intensify screening of all the travelers coming into the country and personal hygiene practices,” he said.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative, Rose Dlamini said COVID-19 is disrupting the society worldwide and as such there is need to take it seriously and adhere to the preventive measures like social distancing and washing hands with soap among others.

Currently Malawi has recorded 33 COVID-19cases, with three recoveries, three deaths and 27 active cases.