Edith Nawakwi saddened with use of buckets at Santa Maria Mission Hospital

FDD President Edith Nawakwi is saddened with the use of buckets at Santa Maria Mission Hospital’s labour ward and the theatre in Chilubi island during labour and surgical operations respectively due to a lack of running water.

The Hospital which is located at the island and serves as the district referral for over 98,000 people of the district does not have running water forcing the medical officers to carry out operations using buckets and drums. Meanwhile the hospital’s mortuary has not been working for almost a year now owing to gas leaks.

Ms Nawakwi has since called on Government to supplement the efforts of the hospital and the Sisters who have volunteered to work in extremely difficult conditions. She said it was imperative that Government supported the mission hospital in areas of need as the church can only do so much and that the facility was the only referral hospital, serving both the island and the mainland of Chilubi District.

“We should not continue to demoralise and humiliate the spirit of volunteerism that we find in the church workers.Yes we know its a calling but let Government support them with the necessary supplementary services. Yes the Sisters have volunteered to come here and offer their sweat and time to the needy in our community but government has a sacred obligation to do its part in complementing and supplementing the Church’s efforts. It’s really sad to note that there is no water, no functional mortuary and the medicine is quite inadequate. We have been through the wards and its sad that even simple stuff such as blankets are scarce. There is no food for the patients, not even the minimum supplies of food that you expect a clinic to have and this is a referral hospital.”

Meanwhile Ms. Nawakwi has warned of stiffer punishments for defilers once voted into office in a bid to protect the girl child and ensure that girls complete their education.

She called on mothers to help one another in ensuring that the girl child is protected and that it was the responsibility of the community to ensure that girls were accorded the same opportunities as boys to complete their studies.

“As mothers we are the ones who end up with the problems of taking care of the children when a young girl is impregnated and has a child at a tender age. I was telling the mothers in Chaba that they should not be allowing young girls to have children. I was telling them that we should be looking after our young girls whether they are our own blood or not because when a young girl is defiled and impregnated the burden is for the whole community.

Next year when i become president, those who will be found wanting in terms of sleeping with young girls will be given stiffer punishments because I want girls to have the same opportunities in school as that of boys.”

Ms. Nawakwi later paid a courtesy call on His Royal Highness Chief Matipa of the Bisa people of Chilubi island were she assured his Royal Highness of full government support and cooperation when elected into office.

She told the traditional leader that her Government, unlike the current Government will not interfere in traditional affairs but would rather work hand in hand with the chiefs in the planning and implementation of developmental programs in the respective chiefdoms.