Water Aid, a non-governmental organisation that promotes water, sanitation and health (Wash), has handed over sanitation facilities to the newly-constructed Kapyanga Health Centre in Kasungu.
The facilities include toilets and piped water powered by solar energy.
Speaking when he inspected the medical facility in Traditional Authority (T/A) Wimbe’s area in the district, Water Aid regional director for Southern Africa Robert Kampala said they implemented the project because the newly-built hospital will be serving thousands of people.
“We decided to support the communities here because this facility will be helping a lot of people. We, therefore, thought that under such a situation, there is need to support hygiene and sanitation aspects at this institution,” he said.
Kampala said the project was funded with part of the K2 billion which Water Aid set aside to improve sanitation in several health centres in the country.
Kasungu East Constituency member of Parliament (MP) Madalitso Kazombo said the Water Aid project has helped communities in his constituency to access safe water.
“Boreholes are far away from this area. Communities used to draw water from unsafe wells but now this problem has been solved,” he said.
The hospital, which has been constructed through local government funds, is expected to reduce maternal deaths in the area which is located far from other health facilities, according to the parliamentarian.