Marketeers at Choma’s main Makalanguzu market have implored the Ministry of Health to revisit the on-going distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets as the exercise has lamentably failed to meet their expectations and targets.
Market chairman, Lawrence Mutemwa, told ZANIS in Choma today that it is sad to not
that a well intended government programme has not been properly handled as most
vulnerable people have been left out in the distribution programme.
Mr Mutemwa said most marketeers had not benefited from the distribution exercise of
free insecticide treated mosquito nets.
He said the survey he conducted at Mwapona Township showed that most families had
equally been left out even when one household had received one net only.
He said the malaria task force that was constituted to over-see the government
sponsored mass distribution of the nets had lamentably failed to execute its job
diligently.
Mr Mutemwa said people had been assured, through the ministry’s own advertisements
in the media, that households would receive nets based on the number of people in a
family.
Mr Mutemwa said the Ministry of Health would do well to urgently address the
shortcomings as most residents feel cheated.
Two days ago, Choma residents association chairman, Kennedy Mukuma, described the
distribution exercise as chaotic, and called upon the ministry to review the
exercise if the fight against malaria, which still accounts for the high mortality
in the distric,t is to be meaningful.
He said it was a mockery to give one net to a household constituting ten family
members.
But manager for Planning and Development at the district health office, Likando
Mukelabai, said only 80, 000 nets were supplied to the district against the project
requirement of 96, 000.
Mr Mukelabai told ZANIS in Choma that the ministry would undertake an assessment of the shortfall and appeal for additional supplies from the ministry in Lusaka and
other cooperating partners.
