St John of God Hospital, in partnership with Lion Hospital, has appealed to parents and guardians of children with disabilities in Traditional Authority Chimutu in Lilongwe District to take their children for medical assessment and, where necessary, orthopaedic surgery.

 

The appeal follows a meeting held last Thursday between officials from the two institutions, Senior Chief Chimutu and leaders of Area Development Committees (ADCs) in Lilongwe District.

 

The meeting aimed at encouraging community leaders to identify children with disabilities in their respective areas and inform their parents or guardians about the opportunity to access medical care.

 

Project Coordinator Zacharia Kautenga said the initiative, titled “Enhancing Access to Orthopaedic Surgical Care for Children with Disabilities,” targets children aged between zero and 18 years.

 

Kautenga said the project aims to reach 550 children in Lilongwe and 350 in Mzimba North.

 

He said they are working with various stakeholders, including Lion Hospital, traditional leaders and other relevant institutions, to identify eligible children and ensure they benefit from the initiative.

 

“We know that there are some children with disabilities whose parents have never taken them anywhere for treatment. The time has come for these children to receive medical care, so we want this message to reach everyone in the area,” said Kautenga.

 

Under the programme, eligible children will be referred to Lion Hospital for medical assessment and, where necessary, orthopaedic surgical care.

 

Meanwhile, Lion Hospital official Elizabeth Chisale Kuyiwawa welcomed the partnership, saying it will help in addressing some of the challenges faced by children with disabilities in various communities.

 

Kuyiwawa urged parents and guardians not to overlook their children’s conditions but to take them to hospital for assessment by medical specialists.

 

“There is no disability that is too minor when it comes to a child. Therefore, we are asking parents not to ignore the message we have given them, but to make a quick decision to bring their children to Lion,” she said.

 

In his remarks, Chairperson of the Area Development Committee under Senior Chief Chimutu, Moris Moyo, commended St John of God Hospital for introducing the initiative, saying it has the potential to improve the lives of children with disabilities in the community.

 

“St John of God has been doing a lot here in our community. Therefore, for them to bring this project, we can only say may God bless them,” said Moyo.

 

In Lilongwe District, the project will cover the targeted traditional authority areas of Chimutu, Chiseka, M’bwatalika and Maliri, while in the Northern Region, it will benefit children in Mzimba North.

 

Funded by CBM, the three-year project is expected to run until May 2029, with the aim of improving access to orthopaedic surgical care for eligible children with disabilities.

 

By Staniel Rabson Chatsika