Vice President Mutale Nalumango has gifted 14 New Year babies at Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital and Chipata First Level Hospital with baby hampers. The Vice President commended health workers for ensuring healthy and successful deliveries and advised the mothers to look after their babies well as they are a gift from God.
And Mrs Nalumango also noted with concern, the increasing cholera cases in the country. She said the government will put up 58 water tanks in Kanyama Township, which is one of the hot spots in Lusaka and other identified areas, to improve access to clean water.
The Vice President appealed to members of the public to visit nearby health facilities in good time, should they suspect any symptoms in order to contain the disease.
“Patients who go to the hospital on time recover quickly, while most of those who delay are brought in dead, which is unfortunate because cholera deaths are avoidable,” she said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Sylvia Masebo assured that cholera drugs are readily available at cholera treatment centers, stating that patients have high chances to recover when they visit the health facilities on time.
Ms Masebo also commended the government for their efforts in improving water supply and sanitation in hotspot areas.
She emphasised the need for residents to work with government to ensure that garbage is collected and disposed of at designated areas in order to avoid water contamination.
Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital Medical Superintendent, Charles Mutemba said the hospital has 80 cholera patients currently on admission, of which 8 are pregnant women and 15 are children.
Source: Lusakatimes
