Pediatric ward Nursing officer at Nsanje district hospital Brenda Mlowe has since asked government to provide the ward with oxygen concentrators and infusers in order to provide better treatment to children.

"We continue to receive recurrent Malaria cases among children. We blame poor usage of the nets as the main factor fueling severe malaria cases, for as a hospital, we have been distributing a lot of mosquitoes nets to rural masses," said Mlowe.

Nsanje Acting Director of Health and Social Dr Gilbert Chapweteka echoed the Nursing officer' sentiments.

"We believe that the establishment of indoor spray mosquito program can help to improve the situation," explained Dr Chapweteka.

Speaking during a visit to Nsanje and Chikwawa districts hospitals on Thursday, Deputy Minister of Health Christie Kalamula Kanyasho said urgent steps need to be taken to protect children from malaria.

In 2020, 47 children died of Malaria while 20 died of pneumonia in Nsanje district.

Both officials from Chikwawa and Nsanje district hospitals also complained to the deputy minister of inadequate human resource, inadequate funding, frequent black outs and the need to upgrade Osiyana, Makhuwira and Chapananga health centres to rural hospitals and replace the dilapidated district hospitals with new ones.