People with epilepsy in Machinga have been left destitute as the district has been hit by a drug shortage.
Meanwhile, the Epilepsy Association of Malawi has described the situation as a cause for worry.
In an interview, Chairperson for the association, Francine Gondwe said that health centers in the district have run out of drugs such as Phenobarbitone.
“There is a big problem at Machinga and Ntaja health centers. For almost three months now, the hospitals have had no epilepsy drugs, ‘’ Gondwe said
With the situation at hand, the patients are being asked to purchase the drugs from pharmacies, where most of them cannot afford.
“The sad thing is that people in the villages in some scenarios will have to borrow money to travel to these health centers to get the drugs, just to be told that the hospital don’t have the drugs, ‘’ he said.
Despite addressing the matter with authorities at the hospitals and the district office, they have not gotten any response yet.
The association has since called on authorities to come to the rescue of people with epileptic condition by supplying the hospitals with the drugs.
As went to press, Machinga DHO officers were yet to pick our calls.