Govt commits to recruiting more nurses
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health Dan Namarika says government is committed to recruiting more nurses to fill a 63 percent vacancy rate in the health sector.
In an interview during Mulanje Mission College of Nursing and Midwifery students graduation in Mulanje on Saturday, he said the ministry and Christian Health Association of Malawi (Cham) will soon advertise for the recruitment of nurses and other health personnel.
He said the exercise has been budgeted for in the 2018/19 National Budget that was approved in June.
Said Namarika: “It is certainly clear that we have a 63 percent vacancy rate among nurses specifically and 52 percent across the board. In the 2018/19 Budget, there is a provision to recruit more staff and in a week or two, we will be advertising to start the recruitment process.”
He also said by January or February next year, there is a possibility that more health personnel will be recruited with funding from The Global Fund, which will also be an advantage to the health system.
Addressing the graduating students, Namarika advised them to adhere to ethics as they are the frontline of the health system.
In a separate interview, deputy secretary general for the CCAP Blantyre Synod, under which the college falls, Moyenda Kanjerwa, said training institutions under the synod strive to produce quality graduates that will be relevant to the health sector.
Out of the 154 graduating students, 119 were nurse-midwife technicians while 35 were community midwife assistants.
