Malawi: Government of Malawi has laid out the plans to construct a new district hospital for Kasungu to replace the 56-year-old facility which authorities say is small to carter for the district’s growing population.
Minister of Health, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, made the revelation in Kasungu on Monday on the sidelines of a council budget session which approved the district’s K56 billion financial plan for 2025/2026 financial year.
“Government has already allocated resources to carry out a feasibility study while chiefs in Kasungu have already identified land where we will build the new hospital.
“The current structure was built long time ago in 1969 when the population was about 200 000 while today the district has about a million people. So there is need for a new facility that can properly serve the current population,” Chiponda said.
She said that the current health facility, which is Kasalika Health Centre will be expanded and upgraded to a rural hospital. This will be done in the year in the 2025-26 as a quick way of decongesting the district hospital. At the same time the district will be getting ready for a new hospital project.
Currently, the Kasungu District Hospital can cater to a bed capacity of approximately 250. As of reports, the health center is treating more than 500 patients a day. With this, Kasungu District Hospital is the fourth busiest district facility after Bwaila, Blantyre and Mangochi.
Chairperson for Finance Service Committee, Charles Binya has announced that the council has laid out the plans to construct a K200 million guardian shelter. The construction will be done with the help of the Constituency Development Fund.
This will help make sure that the guardians with the patients can also be comfortable during their treatment stays. Other plans include the construction of:
- A K425 million Family Health Unit,
- K92 million maternity wing at Livwezi Health Centre,
- K112 million maternity wing at Chamama Health centre
- K177 million out-patient department at Linyangwa Health Centre