Spurred by the sheer need to help ease water challenges at a medical facility in Senior Traditional Authority (STA) Chief Lukwa’s area in Kasungu district and inspired by the hackneyed phrase ‘water is life’, Petroleum Importers Limited (PIL), a consortium of four oil marketing companies in Malawi, has donated a solar-powered water pump worth K7.5 million to Linyangwa Health Centre.
The health centre, located in the area of Senior Chief Lukwa, has had no potable water for the past three years, a situation that caused distress especially in the maternity wing thereby forcing guardians and medical personnel to bank on the secondary school close to the facility.
Speaking after commissioning the new pump mounted at the health centre’s maternity wing, PIL’s Finance Manager, Kambani Mchiela said they felt the need to donate the pump considering that water is life and hospitals cannot do well without clean and safe water.
“Access to clean water is not just a basic necessity; it is a fundamental human right. Water is essential for health, hygiene, and life itself. However, we know that access to safe and reliable water sources is still a challenge in many parts of our country, particularly in rural areas.”
“Health centres like this one play a critical role in the well-being of our people, and ensuring that they have the resources they need is crucial,” said Mchiela.
Mchiela further said that the clean water will help promote hygiene, thereby empowering the members of the community to prevent M-Pox which was detected in some neighbouring countries.
“By harnessing the power of the sun, this pump will provide a consistent supply of clean water, ensuring that the hospital can maintain high standards of hygiene and care without interruption. This, in turn, will improve patient outcomes and contribute to the overall health of the community within the Linyangwa Health Centre catchment area,” he explained.
District Medical Officer for Kasungu, Dr Ulemu Zulu commended PIL for the water pump saying it will go a long way in ensuring smooth medical procedures at the facility.
“Most diseases that women suffer from after delivery are contacted during delivery. That is why it is so important to observe hygiene when conducting such procedures, and one key component in all that is water,” said Dr Zulu.
Group Village head Linyangwa also hailed PIL while pleading with his subjects to take care of the pump.
“We have stayed for three years without clean water because some people stole our pump.
“PIL has brought us a bigger pump than the previous one, we thank them,” he said.
Group Village head Linyangwa added: “The situation in the last three years was bad such that people depended on the school and you know how students behave. Sometimes they couldn’t allow the women to draw the water.”
Linyangwa health centre serves a population of 32, 000 people from Kasungu West, with expected deliveries standing at 1, 800 per year.
PIL comprises Total Energies, Vivo Energies, Puma, and Petroda.
“Most diseases that women suffer from after delivery are contacted during delivery.”
Dr Ulemu Zulu
Kasungu District Medical Officer.
