People in Kawangira Village under Traditional Authority Khombedza in Salima have appealed to government and other stakeholders to establish more health posts in the area, as residents are currently using a church building to access medical services.

Senior Group Kawangira made the appeal on Monday during a visit by Amref Health Africa, which came to assess progress under its Pfizer Foundation, supported project aimed at improving access to health services in hard-to-reach communities.

According to Senior Group Kawangira, villagers face serious challenges in accessing Makiyoni Health Centre which is located over 25 kilometers away

Amref Health Africa Country Manager Hester Nyasulu encouraged the community to make full use of integrated family health outreach clinics, saying the initiative helps reduce the burden of long travel distances while plans for new health posts are being considered.

“You can see already that someone living here is disadvantaged. They either have to pay more for transport or brave long distances to reach a facility, and many just suffer in silence,” said Nyasulu.

He added that Amref visits the area once every month to provide services through outreach clinics, expressing hope that the organization will secure additional resources to continue supporting the community beyond the project’s one-year timeframe.

Angela Nyongani Sakwata, Senior Health Promotion Officer at Salima District Hospital said the community’s response to the project has been overwhelmingly positive, with more people now accessing essential services such as child immunization, antenatal care, malaria testing and treatment, and family planning.

Amref Health Africa is implementing the one-year project in partnership with the Ministry of Health to improve vaccine uptake and coverage in hard-to-reach areas across five districts, including Salima.

(Written By: Fegson Phabuli – Salima)