A 27 year-old-man in Nkhota-Kota has been sentenced to six and seven years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling two sisters in a row.

The Integrated Pathways for Improving Maternal, Newborn and Child health-InPath-says in Malawi, unless stakeholders hold hands to support the health sector in maternal health issues through provision of equipment maternal and infant mortality rate will remain a serious challenge. InPath Clinical Training Coordinator, George Nkhoma, said this on Wednesday when the organization donated assorted medical equipment to Salima district worth K138 million. “We bought the equipment after conducting a needs assessment. We found that the hospital was in dire need of equipment such as theater beds, oxygen concentrators among other equipment,” Nkhoma said. InPath says effective service delivery can only be when hospital personnel has the necessary equipment to use hence the donation meant to help reduce maternal and newborn deaths. Receiving the equipment, District Nursing and Midwifery Officer for Salima, Gertrude Ngwala-Banda said until now, the hospital was using aged equipment hence not able to match demand. “We have been facing serious shortage of such equipment in the theater, labour ward and the nursery. We failed to help mothers and newborn babies leading to preventable deaths," said Ngwala-Banda confident that the state of affairs would now improve. At least thirty women give birth everyday at the Salima district hospital. Aside the donation of equipment, InPath is also expanding the maternity wing, upgrading of Khombedza Health centre and providing ambulances in some instances.

Ministry of Industry has tipped cooperatives and Saccos in the country to devise measures that would maintain and cushion their membership in the face of COVID 19 which they say will soon become an economic problem other than just a health issue.

Councilors in the country have been challenged to put politics aside and help in safeguarding land in their various councils to end a curtail that has seen prime land being sold to none Malawian nationals.

There were running battles between the police and residents baying pursuing a murder suspect in the area of Traditional Authority Maganga in Salima this morning.

Anglican Bishop Brighton Malasa who is a patron for Malawi Creation Care Network says unless citizens start refraining from using thin plastics the ban on the same will not be effective.

Use of mother groups to promote girls Education in Salima has been hailed for making significant strides as many girls are now staying in school.

Police in Salima have arrested three men for entering a protected area and endangering protected species.

Some of the people who got trapped by floods on Kakuyu, a farming island in Dwangwa, Nkhotakota district want government to speedily relocate them upland.

 

Director of Chiefs in the ministry of Local Government, Charles Makanga,  says taking chieftaincy disagreements to courts doesn’t solve matters but rather delays progress thereby derailing development as solutions are with loyal families.