16th March, 2023- Blantyre, Malawi Southern Region
The effect of Tropical cyclone Freddy has been devastating. The 3-5 days that it has passed through the Southern part of Malawi, were a nightmare for many. Leaving a lot of people and their families troubled, displaced, injured and at loss.
Day by day, the number of people in need of health services keep increasing, exhausting the already limited resources the health sector has.
“Following the call by the state president of the republic of Malawi, Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, we established a team that has been working tirelessly mobilizing resources with support from our partners to come to the aid of the 722 injured people,” Said Maureen Sabawo, the President for MOA, after making the donation of medical supplies in the wake of cyclone Freddy at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre.
Sabawo added, “We managed to mobilize about 11 million Kwacha from our donor partner AO Alliance foundation and other well-wishers which we have used to purchase these supplies with similar provisions being channeled to other district hospitals to cater for the distressing effects of cyclone Freddy.”
Dr. Chikumbutso Mpanga Munthali, who is the deputy heard of orthopedics department at QECH has said that the donation was timely and it’s been honored, she said during the handover ceremony of the donation.
She further said “We are very grateful to MOA for having mobilized the resources they have donated today,”
“We have a lot of patients with open fractures that currently need to be operated on. With this support, we should be able to meet the growing demand for orthopedic care, due to the tropical cyclone Freddy.”
The assorted medical items donated to QECH includes Plaster of Paris, IV Fluids, Gauze, Crepe Bandages, velband and plaster for skin traction.
In addition to the assorted medical supplies, MOA has mobilized 8 orthopedic clinicians and 3 orthopedic surgeons who are volunteering at QECH trying to lessen the challenges cyclone Freddy has left.
