|
Lindi starts morning classes on health
2007-03-22 08:57:08
By Said Hamdani, PST, Lindi
Lindi District Hospital has introduced community health education every morning on malaria control measures to patients.
The decision cames in the wake of medical reports unveiled last week which indicate alarming figures of malaria cases. The disease accounted for 60,000 admissions to hospital in the past 12 months.
Addressing participants to a workshop on effective malaria therapy in Lindi recently, the District Medical Officer, Dr. Seif Kungulwe said that out of 31,617 malaria victims, 52.6 per cent were children under the age of five.
He said cases of malaria for adults that had been handled in various dispensaries and health centres in the district were 28,382 indicating that malaria was still a problem. He appealed for more aggressive preventive measures.
``A total number of 930 patients, including children, were admitted to the Pangaboy, Kitomanga, Nyangamala health centres and the two main hospitals of Sokoine and Nyangao,`` Dr. Kungulwe said.
He said despite continued efforts by the government to introduce new and more effective malaria therapy, basic education on ways to fight malaria at household level was of great importance.
The medical officer did not, however, give any statistical data on the number of deaths recorded in the specified period.
``I call upon all medical practitioners to educate local communities on the best way to prevent malaria. This kind of information is more important to them than waiting to undergo treatment.
The disease has serious impact on the economic well-being of the district. We need to work together to avert the situation,`` Dr. Kungulwe said.
The workshop brought together medical practitioners from all six local councils of Kilwa, Lindi urban, Nachingwea, Lindi Rural, Ruangwa and Liwale.
|
