Government has commended the Norwegian Church Aid-Danish Church Aid (NCA-DCA) for the construction of a maternity wing and three staff houses worth K302 million at Lulanga Health Centre in Mangochi.

Minister of Health, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, opened the facility on Tuesday at Traditional Authority (TA) Lulanga, 130km north of Mangochi Boma.

Chiponda described the opening of the maternity wing as a very exciting moment for the people of Lulanga and the government of Malawi, adding that the health facility will help solve maternal health challenges faced in the area.

“We are very happy today because the presence of this facility means more women will be able to access quality maternal health care which they have been in need of for a long time,” she said.

Chiponda encouraged women in the area to always seek medical attention whenever they are pregnant to promote safe motherhood that government is determined to achieve.

Lulanga Health Centre is an Anglican institution managed by the Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) but Chiponda noted that government signed Service Level Agreement with CHAM for free maternal and under five clinics.