Government says all of its test kits and laboratory equipment are approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), all tests done by qualified health care workers and it is unfortunate that Vice President and UTM party President Dr. Saulosi Chilima has stooped so low and joined a bandwagon of fake news masters.
This is contained in a response Government has made on a number of issues, Dr. Chilima raised in his address to the nation on Thursday in Lilongwe.
Government says its response to Covid-19 is in progress and through the different phases guided by its highly qualified public health experts and the WHO saying the test kits that it has,e are enough for now.
From the responses, borrowing from MCP President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s statement, government is ill- prepared for the worst and is not ready for Covid-19 pandemic as other countries have done, putting away party politics and joining hands with the opposition to fight for one common enemy, Coronavirus pandemic.
Minister of Information, who is also government spokesperson, Mark Botomani says government has announced plans to increasing testing centres, with a team of medical engineers in Mzuzu setting up a testing centre which will be ready by Friday.
Botomani said Government is working with Chancellor College and LUANAR to use their laboratories for testing and circulating equipment used for testing TB to test Covid-19 in district hospitals.
“As we can see, the response to Covid-19 is a process, not an event. Government and UNICEF have been orienting opinion leaders from all parts of Malawi such as District Commissioners, DEMs, Senior religious leaders, and many others.
On the need for Government to refurnish state house lodges such as Zomba, Mtunthama and Mzuzu lodges to be places for treatment when Covid-19 increases, Government says the Malawi College of Health Sciences( MCHS) campus has been earmarked in case of increases in Covid-19 patients saying in countries that are worst hit, have not seen state lodges turned into treatment centres .
On ventilators not even enough to treat 100 Covid-19 patients, Government says it has over 20 ventilators available in public hospitals and the country is lucky that so far, most of its patients have mild symptoms and do not need ventilators.
On the chair of the cabinet committee on Covid-19, Jappie Mhango, that he has been busy campaigning for a position at Malawi Olympics, Government says his involvement in Malawi Olympics has nothing to do with his role as the Chairperson for the cabinet committee, he won without campaign.
