The Hidaya faith organization has urged people showing signs and symptoms of Covid 19 to go to hospital for test and receive covid 19 pills instantly once found positive.
The executive director for Hidaya faith organization Imran Malidadi was speaking this on Wednesday during awareness campaign on Test to Treat (T2T) at Malunga ground in the area of traditional authority Malemia in Zomba District
Malidadi said people with 50 years and above or those below 50 years up to 12 years but they have chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension have access to get covid 19 pills instead of vaccine in the country.
He said the organization with funding from Family Health International 360 (FHI) is conducting Test to Treat (T2T) project as a pilot phase in Zomba which will see older persons and those with chronic conditions have access to get covid 19 pills instead of vaccines.
“Test 2 Treat is a new strategy for Covid 19 care and the strategy encourages all individuals with signs and symptoms of Covid 19 to get tested within 5 days of symptoms onset”. “The medicine for Covid 19 is available and this medicine is different from vaccine because the Covid 19 patients take 3 pills in the morning and another 3 in the evening for 5 days then person is cured” said Malidadi.
According to Malidadi the medicines are for those 50 years and above or those below 50 years up to 12 years but they have chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension.
In her remarks Family Health International 360 (FHI) Social behavior change communication intern Ivy Mande said the campaign mainly focuses on encouraging people to go for covid 19 test and if found they should receive the medication instantly.
Mande said the medication is not mandatory hence encouraged everyone to volunteer themselves to go for covid 19 test and receive medication instantly once found positive saying Covid 19 is not yet over but is still among the people in the country.
” we are urging everyone take responsibility to civic educate each other on the importance of getting tested for Covid 19 and receive medication because as organization we are facing challenge of low turnout of people who come to get tested and receive medication in the hospitals” Mande added.
Senior Group Village Headman Minama asked government to provide public doctors at St Luke’s hospital saying doctors at the hospital charges 1 thousand kwacha to see the patient of which people from the villages cannot afford ,situation which hamper villagers to have access of good health services and hinder the fight against Covid 19.
Family Health International 360 (FHI) is funding the organizations which are conducting Test to Treat (T2T) project as a pilot phase in Zomba, Mangochi and Machinga.
