Red Cross reaches out to 41 000 displaced people

Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) says it has reached out to over 41 000 people displaced by floods in Zomba, Thyolo, Balaka and Mangochi with primary health care services.

Speaking to journalists during a media tour of the camps in the four districts, MRCS secretary general McBain Kanongodza said they embarked on a three-month integrated mobile outreach clinic services in response to the need for health services.

He said: “Malawi Red Cross Society with funding from Unicef [United Nations Children’s Fund] introduced the project to flood victims to mitigate life-threatening health effects in communities heavily affected by floods.”

Kanongodza attributed the success of the project to the good working relationship between Red Cross staff and district health officials.

Through the project, the four districts have been mobilising nurses, clinicians, laboratory technicians and pharmacists to provide mobile holistic primary health care to displaced people in camps.

Thyolo district health officer Dennis Solomon said in an interview the project has helped them to provide healthcare services to people in hard-to-reach areas.

“If you look at our map, before the disaster these were already hard- to-reach areas and the disaster just made it worse in terms of trying to access health services,” he said.

The project, which ran from April to June this year, was implemented with financial support to the tune of K217 million.