ActionAid Malawi donates K22 million worth of PPE to Malawi Prison Services to fight COVID-19

Malawi: ActionAid Malawi, as a sub-recipient of the Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), funded by the Global Fund, has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth K22 million to the Malawi Prison Services (MPS), writes Fletcher Simwaka.

The PPEs, including masks, handwashing buckets, sanitizers, and soap, are intended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country's prisons.

He added that the donated sanitation facilities will also aid in the fight against the cholera outbreak.

He also bemoaned the congestion in the country's prisons, which currently hold over 17,000 inmates against the recommended holding capacity of 7,000 inmates, as a potential breeding ground for COVID-19 case resurgence.

The COVID-19 Response Mechanism is aimed at supporting Malawi in responding to COVID-19, mitigating its impact on HIV, TB, and malaria programs, and improving health and community systems.