Hospital closed over threats from Nyau cult members

Over 32 000 villagers in the area of TA Njombwa in Kasungu District will, at least for the next few weeks, have to walk for longer distances to have access to health facilities after authorities closed indefinitely their only facility on Saturday.

This follows continued disagreements between supposed members of the Nyau cult and workers at Bua Health Centre.

Kasungu District Heath Officer (DHO) Dr Jerome Nkambule confirmed the incident saying they had closed the facility to protect members of staff who have been getting perpetual threats from members of the community mainly through Nyau dancers.

"The facility has been closed indefinitely because we feel lives of the members of the staff were at risk. We have withdrawn all of them from the hospital because they cannot work under such environment," said Dr Nkambule.

Gulewamkulu cult members

For the past few weeks, health workers at the hospital have been receiving constant threats from the community members because of the hospital's borehole which they want to be using.

According to the DHO, it is surprising why the villagers insist on using the hospital borehole when there are four other boreholes in the area.

Last week, the Gulewamkulu dancers entered in the maternity wing and issued threats to a nurse they found busy assisting a woman who was giving birth.

To make matters worse, the community members even started openly defecating at the borehole and the hospital surroundings in protest.

Authorities then closed the hospital but it was reopened on Monday following a stakeholders meeting that resolved to bar the villagers from using the borehole.

However, despite the meeting's  resolution,  Gulewamkulu dancers kept on intimidating the works forcing authorities to close the facility indefinitely.

Nine people, four men and five women, were arrested by police in connection to the incidents and were expected to appear in court on Friday.

Nyasa Times 19 Sep, 2011

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Source: http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/hospital-closed-over-threats-from-nyau-cult-members/
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