Women guarding patients at Kasungu District Hospital have been sleeping in a cramped, smoky shelter doubling as a kitchen, with no toilets or privacy.
It was the daily reality that subjected them to discomfort, congestion and indignity.
“The place was too small and overcrowded. We were cooking, sleeping and resting in the same smoky environment. It was very difficult for us,” says Janet Phiri, ‘chairperson’ of the guardians.
Sanitation conditions were equally troubling as the structure had no proper washing facilities, forcing guardians to bathe in open spaces around the hospital grounds.
Phiri says the lack of privacy was both uncomfortable and humiliating.
“We had no bathrooms and women were washing outside in the open. There was no dignity as there was no privacy,” she says.
Even the pit latrines available at the site had long reached capacity. With the facilities full and unusable, the area increasingly became a centre of open defecation, posing serious health risks to everyone, including the guardians themselves, patients and hospital staff.
“It was a health hazard. The conditions were not good for anyone,” she notes.
At the hospital, guardians, who are mostly women, play a crucial role in supporting patient care by cooking meals, helping patients to bathe, fetching medication and providing emotional support.
But despite their importance, the conditions under which they lived while caring for patients were far from ideal.
The old guardian shelter at the hospital was painfully small. Built years ago when the district’s population was significantly lower, the structure could no longer accommodate the growing number of guardians who flock to the hospital each day.
Kasungu now has a population approaching one million, making its district hospital the fourth busiest district health facilities in the country, receiving patients from both across the district and neighbouring areas.
Yet the facility’s guardian shelter had remained largely unchanged.
Ethel Manda, a guardian who says she has been a regular ‘tenant’ in the structure recalls how the women have been sleeping in the tiny shelter.
“The structure, was tiny and heavily congested. We slept closely packed together, with some often sharing limited space on the veranda or along the walls of the small building.
“The air inside the structure was often thick with smoke, making it uncomfortable and potentially harmful for us who were already enduring long days caring for our sick relatives,” she says.
Responding to the need, Kasungu District Council has constructed a new modern guardian shelter at the hospital, an intervention that has already transformed the lives of hundreds of women who support patients at the facility.
The newly constructed structure is spacious, well-designed and equipped with modern sanitary facilities, including proper bathrooms and toilets.
Unlike the previous shelter, the new building provides guardians with a safer and more dignified place to stay while caring for their loved ones.
“This structure has greatly improved our living conditions because we now have enough space and proper sanitation facilities.
“Women can bathe with privacy and we are no longer forced to stay in smoke all the time,” says Janet Phiri, one of the guardians.
Another guardian, Edina Mailosi, shares similar sentiments.
She says the new shelter has significantly improved hygiene and comfort for the women who spend long periods at the hospital.
“We are very thankful to the council for this structure. The sanitation here is good and the environment is clean. We have already forgotten our past struggles,” she says.
The project was made possible partly through Constituency Development Funds (CDF) and it was constructed at a cost of approximately K430 million.
At the time the project was implemented, Kasungu District had 10 constituencies, and each constituency contributed at least K20 million towards the initiative, enabling the district to build a facility capable of accommodating the growing number of guardians at the hospital.
Director of Health and Sanitation Services for Kasungu District, Emmanuel Golombe, says the project reflects the district’s commitment to improving the welfare of the communities it serves.
“Guardians play a very important role in the care of patients. They assist with feeding, hygiene and many other aspects of patient care.
Because of that, it is important that they also have a decent and safe place to stay,” Golombe explains.
He adds that improving infrastructure around hospitals contributes significantly to the overall quality of healthcare services, saying better living conditions for guardians also translate into better support for patients.
Chairperson of the council’s Health Service Committee, Councillor Christopher Kamtambo, says the guardian shelter is part of a broader effort by the district council to strengthen health service delivery through infrastructure development.
He notes that several other health projects have been implemented across the district in recent years.
“To improve healthcare service delivery, the district has managed to construct various infrastructures including this guardian shelter,” Kamtambo says.
Among the projects completed so far are Gogode Maternity Wing, Lodjwa Maternity Wing, the new Ofesi Health Centre and Mphomwa Dispensary.
“These developments are meant to bring services closer to the people and improve the quality of care,” explains Kamtambo.
He also reveals that the council is planning another major development at Kasungu District Hospital—a diagnostic centre that will consolidate diagnostic services currently scattered across different departments.
According to him, the facility will not only improve efficiency but also help decongest the hospital.
“The plan is to have all diagnostic services in one place,” he explains. “This will create more space for maternal and neonatal health services while also improving service delivery.”
He says investments like the guardian shelter are particularly important as guardians are an integral part of hospital care, assisting with non-clinical tasks such as cooking meals, washing clothes and providing basic care for patients.
For Janet Phiri and the many women she represents, the new guardian structure has reinstalled the dignity that eluded them for some time.
By Wanangwa Tembo
Malawi News Agency (MANA)
