Poor Sanitation Worries Guardians at Neno DHO

The cholera harbour The cholera harbour - pic by Steve Kalungwe

Guardians and expectant mothers at Neno district hospital have raised concerns over poor sanitation especially at the guardian shelter at the time the district has just registered nine more cholera cases in the last 24 hours.

A visit by Zodiak Online on Sunday evening found the sole toilet at the shelter filled up with guardians saying that waste is spilling out when it rains like Saturday night.

Rose Pagone, a guardian at the facility told us that they cook, eat, bath and sleep in these deplorable conditions hence a call for authorities to consider a makeshift toilet for now.

"The issue is indeed true and we are at risk of getting infected with cholera, I am personally appealing to authorities to swiftly rectify this," she said.

She adds that, to make matters worse, no health official comes to the centre to chlorinate the toilet and when it rains, waters spill over the whole compound.

Echoing her sentiments, a pregnant woman, Alice Stefano says her previous pregnancies were also met with the same fate hence calling the situation a fertile ground for breeding the cholera virus.

She says, even at their shelter inside the hospital, they share a single toilet which was also nearly closed due to unhygienic conditions.

Neno district hospital publicist, Caroline Banda expressed knowledge of the problem in a written interview on Sunday.

"We are aware of the situation and the matter was presented to management and the office of the District Environment Health Officer (DEHO) and will follow it up," responded Banda.

Some guardians also opt to wash their beddings and clothes at a nearby stream behind the shelter due to water challenges the shelter face from time to time.

Last year,  Zodiak carried a similar story which forced the authorities at the DHO to dig a temporary toilet which was later abandoned.

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Last modified on Monday, 06/02/2023

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