Africa-Press – Malawi. ChakweraPresident Lazarus Chakwera has criticised previous administrations for failing to develop Nthalire in Chitipa District.
He said this is despite that the area is endowed with abundant untapped resources
Chakwera was speaking Monday at Nthalire during the opening of Nthalire Health Centre, which has been upgraded to a community hospital.
The President said, just like any area in Malawi, Nthalire deserved better roads, good infrastructure, hospitals and other facilities.
“We have had administrations which have ruled this country but they were not bothered to develop the country. They did not have a proper hospital that helps the people here. The question could be: Did they not see Nthalire as part of Malawi? Did you not notice that the people here needed proper healthcare? How about just visiting the area to appreciate the road network, was it not important? Or, in your view, are important roads only those in your region?” he said.
While acknowledging the poor state of the 241-kilometre Rumphi-Nyika Chitipa Road, Chakwera said his administration had started rehabilitating it from Rumphi.
He then commended Press Trust for upgrading Nthalire Community Hospital, enabling it to handle cases that were being handled at secondary level.
In his remarks, Press Trust Board Chairperson Sosten Gwengwe said they had invested over K1.2 billion in the project, which has taken them about three years.
Sosten GwengweGwengwe said the money had been used to, among other things, construct wards for males and females, kitchen, laundry facility, mortuary and the rehabilitation of a pharmacy and laboratory, which have already been furnished through a donation from project Cure.
“In fact, people surrounding Nthalire Community Hospital have faced a heartbreaking reality: travelling over 120 kilometres in difficult terrain and on a very challenging road, often taking up to five hours, just to access secondary healthcare services at the district hospital. Many lives have been lost in transit and we, as Press Trust, could not stand by and watch,” he said.
In his remarks, Werani Chilenga, the former member of Parliament for Chitipa South Constituency, asked Chakwera to grant Nthalire the status of a district.
Chilenga, a Malawi Congress Party aspiring candidate, said this would help spur the area’s development.
Senior Chief Nthalire also called for the urgent rehabilitation of the worst sections of the road, noting that full construction would take a long time to complete.
Nthalire Community Hospital serves a catchment population of over 60,000 people, including expectant mothers.
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