It was an everyday day in Mwansambo Village, Dwangwa Nkhotakota. Che Wisiki walked within the rain drizzles together with his spouse Patuma to their residence, happy that they had accomplished sufficient to ensure increased yields within the cropping season. Little did they know that these rain drizzles heralding hope would flip right into a catastrophe.
Within the wake of the next morning, Nkhotakota district had acquired heavy and chronic rains of roughly 215.2mm which went on from twenty eighth February to 1st March 2. Ensuing within the flooding of Dwangwa, Bua, Kaombe, and Kasitu rivers. The floods claimed over 8 lives, severely injured 9 individuals, displaced over 10,529 individuals, and affecting over 92,000 individuals who wanted vital help.
“It was round 10 pm at night time after we seen water rising in our home. Patuma and the kids took basins attempting to cup out the water as I moved objects round the home. We then heard a loud thump on the roof. Tree branches had dropped onto us, leaving that a part of the home demolished. In that very same second, we heard a loud cry, we then remembered our youngest little one had been sleeping. We discovered her in a pool of blood. Within the steep darkness and heavy rains, with my complete household, we rushed to Katimbira Well being Middle. What we discovered there was a nightmare. The hospital was stuffed with water, partly demolished, and washing away. The storm was not calming down. Sufferers have been being carried out of the hospital. Well being employees and villagers taking a look at one another in awe of what to do,” narrates Che Wisiki.
From the Nkhotakota District Hospital evaluation, six well being services have been affected when it comes to capability and medical provides.
“Twelve camps have been established within the Conventional Authorities of Mphonde and Kanyenda. Some well being posts have been additionally minimize off below Katimbira, Kauli, Senjere, and Khonde. Moreover, sufferers couldn’t be referred to the District Hospital from the affected areas as a result of a number of highway cut-offs. It was a tragic scenario. Vital sufferers, pregnant ladies who have been already within the well being facilities along with those who had been injured from the flooding. In some instances, there was fully nothing to be accomplished. Individuals couldn’t cross to the opposite facet because of the offended waters,” stated Dr. Jacob Kafulafula, Director of Well being Companies for Nkhotakota District.
With assist from WHO Malawi, the Ministry of Well being deployed a 12-member Sort 1 Nationwide Emergency Medical Crew (EMT) on March 4th, 2024, to assist the district for a interval of three weeks. They needed to cross by boat with assist from the Malawi Protection Power. Resulting from referral challenges, the EMT dealt with each EMT Sort 1 and Sort 2 providers working from Matiki, Khunga, and Ngala Well being Facilities, with visits to neighboring camps.
Dr. Limbani Mapata, the Crew Chief of the Emergency Medical Crew, narrates the EMT’s expertise in Nkhotakota.
“We assisted with difficult instances together with oligohydramnios, obstructed labor, uterine ruptures, toddler respiratory misery syndrome, rib fractures, Galeazzi fracture, and compression of L2 vertebrae. We additionally offered mentorship on vital care to scientific groups in these well being services. Resulting from intensive highway injury, the group organized a relay referral system for instances needing secondary and tertiary care.
On the peak, the group may attain as much as 400 consultations per day on a 24-hour rotation system. Cumulatively, the EMT had 8,093 consultations from the three well being services and managed to refer 34 sufferers with totally different well being situations to the district hospital for additional administration. Malaria and Higher Respiratory Tract Infections (URTIs) instances have been excessive. Schistosomiasis was distinguished and linked to the presence of swampy areas within the communities. Viral Conjunctivitis was additionally distinguished, particularly within the camps. We will solely be grateful to WHO. They offered the medical provides and have been ever current within the affected areas along with the surge group.”
Che Wisiki stays grateful to the EMT. He says with out this group, his daughter wouldn’t have made it out alive.
“We had misplaced all hope. We had managed to gradual the bleeding, however she was nonetheless bleeding. The well being employees on the bottom had accomplished their greatest, however there have been no assets. Their worry was an an infection. The presence of those individuals introduced us hope in a really hopeless scenario,” laments Wisiki.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Well being Group (WHO) – Malawi.