JOIN DRIVERN TAXI AS PARTNER DRIVER TODAY!
A medical doctor in Chadiza district says the health sector has continued to experience imbalances due to poor referral systems at primary health care levels. Chadiza district hospital medical officer in –charge Davy Zulu said during a stake holders meeting that the referral system in the district needs to be strengthened. Dr. Zulu said there is need for strategic investment in the referral system so that the second and third level hospitals are improved and well equipped with specialized treatment care services. “We are experiencing a situation where patients are referring themselves to the district hospital while others are going straight to Chipata General and Saint Francis Hospitals without even passing through the district hospital because they feel those institutions are well equipped with specialist treatment,” he said. Dr. Zulu said Chadiza district patients were not passing through the urban clinic and instead they were going directly to the district hospital even if they had a minor cough. He said there was need to sensitize the community on the importance of passing through the local clinics before referring themselves to the district hospital. Dr. Zulu said there was need to form an advisory body that would include stake holders from government and the community to start sensitizing the community so that the referral system in the district is improved. “We are also faced with a lot of challenges especially with the delay in referrals where most of the expectant mothers arrive at the district hospital in a bad state due to delays in seeking medical help. Some mothers even go to the extent of using local herbs which are ox- toxic and they end up compromising the well being of the baby”, explained Dr Zulu. And Chadiza district council chiefs representative Chenjelani Banda commended the district hospital for involving the traditional leaders in matters of health adding that chiefs were the custodians of the people. Mr Banda said sensitization meetings will begin with all village headmen who will in turn sensitize their subjects in their various villages on the referral system in the district.
