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Two Years Without Water Distiller at Mulanje District Hospital

Phiri presenting the donation Phiri presenting the donation - pic by Hastings Jimani
For two years now, the laboratory section at Mulanje district hospital has been operating without the water distiller after the one which was available at the facility got damaged.
 
The machine according to District Medical Officer Dr. Lloyd Njikho is used in preparing TB samples and running the chemistry machine which runs results of liver and urinal functions tests.
 
“I can say that we have spent close to K1.5 million in transport logistics to get distilled water from Thyolo and Phalombe district hospitals,” said Dr. Njikho.
 
This burden has however been eased by the Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) with support from USAID through its TB Local Organization Network (LON)-2 project after making available the machine at the heath facility.
 
Chief of Party for the TB LON-2 Mtisunge Nkhono Phiri told Zodiak Online that the project created the huge demand for presumptive TB cases to get tested but then the district hospital had no water distiller machine making it difficult to carry the tests in time, hence responding to this challenge.
 
“We are working in seven health facilities in Mulanje including the district hospital and Mulanje Mission Hospital and since we started our project a year ago, we noted that more people are willingly accessing the TB tests but it was taking too long to receive their results because unavailability of the water distiller at the district hospital,” said Phiri.   
 
According to Phiri, the value of the machine is approximately MK2 million.
 
 
 
 
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