I am Joseph Msambathukuta Chasweka Director of Chilinde Health Services (commonly called 24 hours clinic) and Public Health expert
COVID-19 is an infectious disease which is real and spreading at an alarming rate and if preventive measures are not followed it will reach an imaginable level
This post is my response to what was posted by Hon Msungama and other posts that have been circulating in social media for the past 5 days mentioning my name and my clinic.
I have known Mr Dhuda as an honest, kind, humble and as a man who loved his family. I am mourning his death and will miss him
It is true he visited our clinic and upon realising that his condition was deteriorating, he was referred to bigger facility for further investigations and treatment.
Communication to COVID-19 team was made and reaction was Quick
Within 24 hours, communication was done to us through Ministry of Health that the patient tested positive to COVID-19and was communicated as a focal person directly and by then his name was all over
Within 24 hours again news about his death spread rapidly especially within his community
-The coved 19 team responded within an hour to collect the samples of family members and their immediate contacts plus advise on how to avoid further spread.
More than 40 people arrived for the tests at his place but coz of pressure and time they only managed to collect 28 samples of which 10 came positive(source, District environment office, LL) the rest were advised to come following day
All health workers of 24 hours clinic who had contact with the patient were advised to go for quarantine, to wait for 5 days sample to be collected for testing
The DHO team came Thursday and they have disinfected the clinic plus surroundings as the procedure
MY OPINION and ADVICE on this incident:
1 – let us not politicize COVID-19 pandemic
2 – To the area 21 and LL city community, COVID-19 disease has come, the choice is ours whether to believe politicians or health workers on this battle
3 – To my Honourable MP, I feel your post has provoked anger and it has incite violence acts against health workers on COVID-19 which is to our disadvantage as community members .This will also promote stigma to other clinics and patients resulting in hiding their illnesses and cases
My honorable MP, closing the clinic cannot be the solution as all necessary measures have already been done
The clinic has been in existence for more than 25 years and has served the community diligently, let us not push it into the mud.
Let’s work together as we have been doing, if you can manage call the DHO office for more statistics and verification of the results and cases
Let us work with the DHO team and not fight them as news has already spread and have been warned not to come.
To the residents of LL city not only Kaliyeka let us remember that to have Corona it is not a death sentence more than 80 % of corona positive patients survive (WHO 2020)
For those with respiratory problems or infection, stay at home, those with medical condition that can compromise the immune system, stay at home let us react to this pandemic with sober minds as the disease does not
