GLOHOMO Executive Director, Caleb Thole, says the gesture is within their K150 million COVID-19 response package that aims at fighting the pandemic across the country.
“The disease comes into the country through borders and airports and it continues to come through ports of entry. For example, here in Mwanza, it is where most people are coming through into the country. We have seen buses which have carried thousands of people [from South Africa] and most of them have tested positive to COVID-19.
“So this project is focusing on supporting port of entries especially immigration officers and other frontline workers. These people are getting support from the nearest health facility which is Mwanza District Hospital.
We also have high rate of local transmission in the district and that is why we have come up with the support. We are doing this work in collaboration with Malawi government and support from the Swiss Development Cooperation,” he said.
Neno District Medical Officer, Dr. Francis Makiya, said that the hospital assists Malawian returnees and people in the district; making the donation very timely.
Dr. Makiya said that “With the increased entry of Malawian returnees, we are stretched in terms of resources as some goes to help the returnees and people in the district as well. More resources are indeed needed.
“We have received tents and some Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which will be very useful as we are registering more cases of COVID-19,” he said.
Spokesperson for Mwanza border, Inspector Pasqually Zulu, said in appreciation that “Mwanza has been a very busy border in the country as we have been clearing Malawian returnees from South Africa which is regarded as the hot spot of COIVD-19.
“We are very grateful to GLOHOMO because they have brought PPE and trained our officers here at the border. We do not know much on health related issues but with the coming in of this training, we are able to protect ourselves, families and people who come into the country,” he said.
About twenty thousand Malawian returnees who fled socio-economic hardships triggered by COVID-19 in South Africa have so far arrived in the country through Mwanza border since April last year.
