Women's group donates K14m medical supplies to Rumphi district health office

The Chikulamayembe Women Forum on Saturday donated drugs and other medical supplies worth K14 million to the Rumphi district health office in an effort to contain the country's cholera outbreak.

Malawi: The Chikulamayembe Women Forum on Saturday donated drugs and other medical supplies worth K14 million to the Rumphi district health office in an effort to contain the country's cholera outbreak.

Tiwonge Gondwe, the organization's executive director, stated that her organisation needed assistance because the rainy season is quickly approaching and the district is at risk of recording a high number of cholera cases.

"We are afraid that when the rainy season begins, we will have a high number of cases of cholera," Gondwe explained.

"This is why we made this donation, and we believe that when those figures rise, the medical supplies will help to contain the situation."

In an interview, Rumphi District Hospital Medical Doctor, Dr Tapunda Phiri, stated that the drugs and other medical supplies will go a long way toward assisting the hospital in helping cholera patients, of which she noted that the hospital is overburdened with cases from Mzimba North.

"We are receiving more cholera patients from our district's Mzimba North and lakeshore areas, and we hope that the donation will help us handle cholera cases; we are grateful for the donation from Chikulamayembe Women Forum," Phiri said.

Among the medical supplies are Linger’s lactate, chlorine, doxycycline, zinc sulphate, and erythromycin tablets.

Rumphi district health office has recorded 842 cholera cases and 15 deaths.

The medical supplies were donated by the Chikulamayembe Women Forum with funding from Action Aid Malawi.