MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES BENEFIT 1,200 PATIENTS

By Blessings Kumwenda
 

Chimwemwe Tembo

Mental Health Services that St. John of God provides in established five centers in the northern region have assisted 1,200 mental health patients who are now registered and receiving mental heath services.

This has been confirmed Tuesday by St John of God Community Programs Coordinator (CPC) Chimwemwe Tembo who said most people now appreciate the importance of mental health services and have registered.

Tembo said in April 2011 when they had just started offering the services they registered only 93 patients.

By that time the services were offered at St Annes Health Centre, Lusubiro and Kasantha Clinic in Karonga District, in Chitipa the services were offered at Kaseghe Health Centre.  Mzambazi Health Centre in Mzimba District was added later in 2012.

 By December 2012 the figures of people accessing mental health treatment rose to 738. 

Meanwhile 1,200 clients are registered and are accessing mental health services which she said symbolizes a big gap that existed in the districts in absence of the services.

She however expressed of a great increase in number of beneficiaries and that the growth is at a fast pace.

St John of God Community Programs Coordinator further explained that drugs for mental ill patients are available and that there are no shortages of drugs yet.

“We had once a problem of a shortage of certain drug that we provide to mental ill patients amongst other drugs but that problem was sorted out and the type of medicine is now available,” she said.

Tembo has since advised people to come to the centres and access mental health services that are offered at a free cost.

“Our first priority is to offer a service. The services that we provide are for free and to those out side the catchment area in which our hospital is located only pay k300 which is very reasonable compared to the medical treatment that we provide,” she said.

Tembo also appreciated government efforts in assisting them provide better services. She said through the office of District Health Officer (DHO) they are receiving a great support in terms of working personnel when ever they go out in these centres.

St. John of God is one of the biggest and reliable mental hospitals alongside Zomba Mental Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.

YPU, NICE CAMPAIGN FOR MORE YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN TRIPARTITE ELECTIONS

By Blessings Kumwenda

Young Politicians Union (YPU) and National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) have horned efforts to encourage more youth participation in the fourth coming general elections through registrations campaigns conducted in some parts of the country. 

One of the campaign's posters

The partnership seeks to distribute motivation messages to youth who are in majority of the country’s population by taking a leading role in voter’s registration and voting activity. The campaign is also heartening more youth to contest in various government positions.

Speaking Saturday during one of the campaigns in Mzuzu YPU Director for Mzuzu Tega Mwaruwasa explained that through past experience it has been established that there is lack of seriousness amongst youth in elections participation. 

Mwaruwasa described the act as being very dangerous as young people makes approximately 65% of the country’s population.

“Indeed young people have to take a leading role in the elections activities and from the activity that we have had here in Mzuzu the response has been so over whelming. We promise to extend these campaigns to rural areas shortly,” he said.

YPU Director further stresses a need for more youth in decision making positions in government.

“Youth being in majority of Malawi’s population should primarily be involved in decision making activities,” he said.

In his remarks NICE District Civic Education Officer for Mzuzu Wallace Kudzala encouraged youth to register and vote in next year’s general elections. Kudzala however asked youth to refrain from violence.

“My message to all youth in the country ahead of the tripartite elections in May next year is that they should not be involved in any sort of violence activities. Youth are at all times in fore front of such promiscuous acts but later they turn out to be major victims also, so we do not want this to happen," he said.

According to NICE District Civic Education Officer they have collaborated with YPU as a way of reaching out to many young people.

People in Malawi are in the registration process ahead of May, 20 general elections scheduled for next year.

INDIAN BUSINESS MAN VIOLATES MALAWI BUSINESS WOMAN

By Blessings Kumwenda

Indian Business man identified as Rafiki who owns a supermarket known as Wakbro in Mzuzu city Wednesday brought shock and anger amongst Malawian Business Entrepreneurs in the city when he threw away a bucket full of peas of a Malawian business woman following her child tampering with his car. 

According to eye witnesses the woman whose name is not yet known was conducting her business of selling peas as usual at the city centre just in front of Rafiki’s Shop.

As she was busy trading her baby clawed towards the Indian national’s car which was at the moment packed in front of the shop and the baby started touching the car.

It is alleged that this prompted Rafiki who swiftly moved from his shop and started insulting the woman for leaving her baby to be tampering with his car. The Indiana went ahead and booted out the bucket of peas on which the woman was trading on.

The peas were spilled all over the place at which the incident took place.

After this a larger number of angry and concerned business entrepreneurs who were around the place witnessing this gathered outside Rafiki’s shop demanding a clear explanation from him on the violence.

Through comments raised at the gathering by the entrepreneurs, it was learnt that they agreed to revenge.

Other entrepreneurs said they want to teach the Indian business man a big lesson but it was not stated the kind of revenge to be undertaken.

In an attempt to hear from the side of the police on the incident, Mzuzu Police Publicist Sergeant Maurice Chapola said they are yet to respond well on the matter as investigations are underway.  

 

FTC-TIWALERE OVC PROJECT OVERCOMES UNDER FIVE MALNUTRITION CASES

By Blessings Kumwenda

Fortia CBCC in Traditional Authority Chikulamayembe in Rumphi District

Tiwalere Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Project implemented by Feed the Children (FTC) has helped to eradicate rampant cases of malnutrition in children below ages of five in the country, FTC Northern Malawi Zone Manager Chakufwa Munthali has confirmed.

According to Northern Malawi Zone Manager this has been achieved through provision of vitamin porridge flour to Community Based Child Care Centers (CBCCs) in some districts in the country.

The provision of Vitamin porridge flour falls under Food and Nutrition which is one of Tiwalere OVC project objective.

Munthali said through the program, one packet of Vitamin flour is given to one child per month.

“We provide these flours through CBCCs to children under ages of five. A packet of Vitamin porridge flour is given to one child each month,

“This has greatly improved health status of the children,” he said.

Munthali further expressed that through reports from Health Surveillance Assistants in villages where the program is being implemented there is drastic reduction of malnutrition cases in children under ages of five.

In the northern region Tiwalere OVC project is being implemented in targeted districts of Rumphi, Mzimba, Nkhata-bay and Likoma. Through the project Feed the Children (FTC) has partnered with 148 CBCCs.

Northern Malawi Zone Manager said the availability of the Vitamin porridge flour has also improved attendance levels of children in the CBCCs. It has been noted that a lot of children are now flocking to the centres. 

“Since we started supplying the Vitamin porridge flour enrollment and attendance rates have widely gone up and cases of absenteeism have reduced,” he said.

Munthali highlighted limited capacity as a major challenge encountered through implementation of the project. He said they are unable to meet larger demand for Vitamin porridge flour and only selected CBCCs are beneficiaries of the project. 

Tiwalere OVC which is a five year project started in 2010 and is expected to phase out in September 2015.

The project which is being funded by United States Agency for International development (USAID) is expected to reach out to 73051 Children in 10 targeted districts in the country both orphans and children in general.