Tag Archives: Thomas Psyata

Health

CADH to host health fair; mobilizes resources through diabetes & hypertension screening and counseling 

Maravi Post correspondent
Community members at Chinsapo township in Lilongwe going through diabates screening for funds mobilization

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Community against Diabetes & Hypertension (CADH) in Malawi, has intensified its resource mobilization through diabetes and hypertension screening, and counseling, ahead of the health fair, slated for ?July 29.?

The screening and counseling exercise is targeting individuals, companies, and institutions of goodwill. This enabled CADH to collect monies or material in return of the services.

The health fair, which will be held in Lilongwe, will be the first of its kind focussing on all non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The health fair comes barely two months after CADH opened its counseling centre in the capital, with the central quest to upscale awareness campaigns on diabetes and hypertension.

The fair aims to increase health awareness to the public, by providing health screenings, demonstrations, and information.

Speaking in an interview with The Maravi Post a head of the health fair, CADH’s Programs Manager, Thomas Psyata, said diabetes and hypertension diseases were claiming many lives silently, hence the need for the mass awareness campaign.

Psyata said that the health fair will be a platform to demonstrate the effect of community peer supporting groups in prevention and treatment of diseases.

He added that this is the reason the organization launched the resource mobilization campaign, to meet the cost of the fair. He said the fair would also motivate participants to champion self-care practices, and make positive health behavioral change.

“Since we opened the counseling centre, there have been overwhelming responses from communities as far as Mzimba for our services. But our limited resources, especially human and mobility, have been our main constraints to reach more people.

“With the health fair slated for ?July 29?, this year, we hope to increase awareness on NCDs particularly diabetes, hypertension, cancer among others. This is the reason we are visiting individuals, companies, institutions with our services, and that in return, they give us money or any material to support, to help finance the health fair preparation,” said Psyata.

Psyata therefore asked people to support the initiative for their own good, as it focuses on improving the health status of the nation.

Established in 2016, CADH, is serving local communities in awareness campaigns, prevention and treatment of diabetes and hypertension. CADH is operational in six districts Lilongwe, Balaka, Salima, Dedza, Rumphi and Mzimba.

According to the World Health Organization, diabetes results in high healthcare costs, loss of labour productivity, and decreased rates of economic growth.

Globally, healthcare expenditure for diabetes totaled US$465 billion in 2011, equivalent to 11% of total health spending.

Without an investment in making effective treatments for preventing diabetes complications will arise widely, and predictably rise to US$595 billion by 2030.

 

Health

Malawian men shunning diabetes and hypertension peer groups: CADH to launch counselling centre in Lilongwe

Maravi Post correspondent

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s local organisation, Community against Diabetes & Hypertension (CADH) has expressed sadness over men tendency of absconding diabetes supporting groups which are aimed at raising awareness to control the scourge of the disease.

The development concedes with Journalist Association against Aids (Journalaids)’s recent observation that the country’s general public are ignorant about the diabetic disease which is claiming lives hence the need for curriculum integration in Primary schools. Continue reading Malawian men shunning diabetes and hypertension peer groups: CADH to launch counselling centre in Lilongwe →

Lifestyle

‘Champion resilience policies,’ CADECOM tells Malawi media during climate change workshop 

Maravi Post correspondent
Participants to the workshop-pic by Prince Henderson
Participants to the workshop-pic by Prince Henderson

Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM) has challenged the media to effectively report on resilience policies to help the nation adapt and respond to impacts of climate change.

Malawi has recently been heavily affected by climate change induced dry spells and floods which has left close to 8.5 million people food insecure.

Cadecom national programmes coordinator Yusuf Mkungula said the media has a key role in raising awareness of resilient policies and also ensuring that such policies are translating on the ground.

He was speaking in Salima during a two day workshop for journalists drawn from several media houses.

“Actually we want to inform you the media about climate change issues for effective advocacy hence equipping you with information and knowledge on right to development and right to food and other related policies,” said Mkungula.

He said there are some policy gaps hence the need for government and other likeminded stakeholders to consider addressing them.

Mkungula added that, currently, the national agriculture policy is in draft form whereas the National Disaster Risk Management (DRM) policy was approved last year, but its implementation is yet to take off.

“The Right to Food Bill was drafted in 2006 but it to be tabled in parliament. The bill is now being revised by the consultants and it has been renamed as Food and Nutrition bill. We hope this will be finalised and get tabled,” said Mkungula.

Journalist Ephraim Nyondo of Nation Publications Limited (NPL), who participated in the workshop, hailed the workshop as an eye opener to various climate change related policies in the country.

He added that it is difficult to inform the public without understanding the subject matter. For now, he further said, it will be easy to follow up the policies both those in draft form and those already approved and passed.

Other journalists who participated to the workshops were Pilirani Kachinziri (Times Media Group),Sam Phiri (Malawi Broadcasting Corporation),Gloria Chilembwe and Cedric Nyoni (Luntha Television),Martha Mwandira (Radio Maria),Blessings Kang’ombe (Capital FM),Augustine Muwotcha (YONECO Radio),Moses Masiye (Zodiak Broadcasting Station),Thomas Psyata (Galaxy Radio) and Precious Msosa (Montfort Media).

Cadecom which is a relief and development arm of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) is implementing a project aimed at increasing food security and resilience to climate shocks for 1250 households in Malawi with funding from UKaid through Trocaire.