House spends 90 minutes on MoH vote
Business started at a slow pace in Parliament yesterday when members of Parliament (MPs) spent almost one and a half hours deliberating the K74. 2 billion Ministry of Health Vote.
Before the vote was passed, MPs wanted further clarifications on some projects they felt were being allocated money each financial year although there was nothing on the ground to show for it.
response: Nyalonje
Rumphi East MP Kamlepo Kalua (People’s Party-PP) asked government to explain why the House year in and year out allocates money to projects while nothing was happening on the ground.
“Why do we still give money even if the project in not on the ground? We have allocated billions to hospital projects which are nowhere to be seen. All we see are foundation stones nothing else, yet we allocate money,” he said.
In his response, Minister of Health, Peter Kumpalume told the House not to be too preoccupied with figures on the paper, but rather concentrate on the output.
“We need not to be concerned with the money on a piece of paper, but we need to concentrate on the money that is being spent,” he said.
The minister later withdrew his response when Mzimba North MP Agness Nyalonje expressed concern over the response which did not help matters. n
