ActionAid Malawi donates K22 million worth of PPE to Malawi Prison Services to fight COVID-19
The PPEs, including masks, handwashing buckets, sanitizers, and soap, are intended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country's prisons.
Malawi: ActionAid Malawi, as a sub-recipient of the Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), funded by the Global Fund, has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth K22 million to the Malawi Prison Services (MPS), writes Fletcher Simwaka.
The PPEs, including masks, handwashing buckets, sanitizers, and soap, are intended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country's prisons.
"The donation is in response to the request from MPS following the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Malawi prisons," said Dalitso Kuphanga, C-19RM Program Manager at ActionAid.
"The items being handed over today are allocations for Zomba Central Prison and are done in conjunction with the Creative Centre for Community Mobilization (CRECCOM), which is one of our partners supporting the implementation of COVID-19 activities in the Southern Region."
MPS Chief Medical Officer Lawrence Chiwaula received the donation and said, "It will go a long way in helping prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the prisons."
He added that the donated sanitation facilities will also aid in the fight against the cholera outbreak.
"Since December 2022, we have witnessed a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, and so far 100 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. A total of 23 of those infected are currently in isolation," said Chiwaula.
He also bemoaned the congestion in the country's prisons, which currently hold over 17,000 inmates against the recommended holding capacity of 7,000 inmates, as a potential breeding ground for COVID-19 case resurgence.
The COVID-19 Response Mechanism is aimed at supporting Malawi in responding to COVID-19, mitigating its impact on HIV, TB, and malaria programs, and improving health and community systems.