In the wake of the ravaging Cholera outbreak that has claimed more than 200 lives since breaking out last October, President Hakainde Hichilema has urged citizens to quickly seek help from health facilities immediately they experience symptoms of the diarrhoeal disease.
Speaking at Community House yesterday after cutting short his holiday, the President lamented that upto 50 per cent of the deaths caused by Cholera were due to delayed treatment.
He said the Cholera statistics that have been released suggests that a number citizens seek medical treatment late.
“Please do not stay at home. When you are feeling unwell, I think the message around Cholera has been driven and given and the symptoms have been well articulated. So please fellow citizens, when you feel unwell or you know your neighbour in the same house or someone in the same house as you, do not hesitate to take them to a medical facility for professional medical treatment.
“I understand 50 percent of the Cholera deaths are occasioned by the delays in seeking medical treatment. I hear, the issues around stigma, no one should feel stigmatized by Cholera, no one because the consequences are dreadful, we know, so please let’s seek medical attention from competent heath facilities,” President Hichilema said.
He encouraged early medical treatment and Cholera prevention, stating that people should not await on hospital ambulances to take patients to the hospital, but rather find other means of transport to save a life, and take the victim to the nearest treatment center dotted around the country.
Further, the President thanked the Ministry of Health, and all front liners involved in ensuring that lives of people are saved.
“I would like to thank the Ministry of Health and aligning ministry for the good works that they have done to reduce on the numbers of Cholera deaths, but there is more works needed to be done. A lot more works needs to be done and t hat’s why I took this decision to return back to Lusaka which is the epicenter of this outbreak so we must all work hard together like yesterday because we all cant afford any more loss of life,” President Hichilema said.
He encouraged all Ministry’s involved in ensuring that people are safe from Cholera, including the society itself to soldier on in the fight and not dispair.
“This will be tough, this will be expensive, but we need to invest our resources in priority areas, and this is one of them,” said Hichilema President.
By Buumba Mwitumwa
Kalemba January 10, 2023
