Malawi Govt deploys 13 new beds to Mponela hospital

Ministry of Health on Friday delivered 13 new beds to Mponela Rural Hospital after a public outcry against last week’s transfer of the same number of beds from the hospital to Mzimba where campaign is underway for two parliamentary by-elections.

The Nation’s visit to Mponela found the 13 new beds offloaded at the hospital and some people in a jovial mood while others lamented that the beds had come without mattresses.

“We have just received these 13 new beds, but they have not come with mattresses,” said one employee at the hospital.

Government attracted protests from Mponela residents and several groups, including the Parliamentary Women Caucus, after it reportedly removed the beds from Mponela to Mzimba.

In a statement released on Thursday, Ministry of Health promised to return the 13 beds to Mponela hospital by this weekend and said it will also provide mattresses to all beds at the hospital as most beds at the health facility do not have mattresses.

Apart from Mponela Rural Hospital, government also removed 12 beds from Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) and transferred them to Mzimba.

The beds were reportedly sent to Euthini Health Centre in Mzimba Central and the yet-to-be completed Edingeni Health Centre in Mzimba South West.

 

FEEDBACK

 

Beds saga

It shows that the Malawi’s ruling People’s Party (PP) has now started to show its make-up which is to please themselves when others are suffering. 

GC/Via SMS

 

Was it normal for the beds to be redeployed or it has been a trend to help other hospitals? Why did it happen at night? And why were they sent to Mzimba where there is a by-election? Why did they not consult the MP of the area? Politicians never learn and what we are getting now are lies.  Please politicians do not give us a raw deal bola musatitukwanenso tikakudzudzulani.

FK/Via e-mail

 

The issue here is that one constituency benefited unfairly through manoeuvres of their MP who at the material time was a Cabinet member. It appears Dr Jean Kalirani [as Health Minister] oversupplied Mponela Rural Hospital with beds to the point that some beds were not being used. What the Health Ministry was doing was implementing a normal administrative arrangement. It was a question of allocating the national cake or resources equitably, the concept the DPP administration championed heavily for when it was in power. So, there should be no fuss on this matter. Why was there no storm when Kalirani was in charge of the ministry when 22 beds were taken from Chitipa to Mponela? I doubt if there is truth in claims that Kalirani, using resources from her own pocket, bought the beds which she later donated to Mponela.

AT/Via e-mail

 

 President Joyce Banda and Vice–President Khumbo Kachali must not take Malawians for fools to the extent of deploying beds from Mponela to Mzimba in order to win a by-election.

Via SMS

 

 No, it [PP-led government] will fail miserably due to its direction-less economic management.

 

 Via SMS

Mponela beds were taken for campaign in the North. It is bad. Health officials are lying to avoid embarrassing Kachali who is using bed transfer policy just to cover up.

Via SMS

 

[Removing beds from Mponela Rural Hospital] is an insult to all Malawians, particularly of Dowa. Why now and to Mzimba where elections are taking place? The Vice-President is also lying. He has failed as VP and minister

 Via SMS

 

Blunder after blunder!! Taking people for granted will not take this ‘accidental government’ anywhere. The Mponela bed saga has done a very irreparable damage [to PP government] and it is an insult to Dowa.

The removal of beds from Mponela Rural Hospital to Mzimba is ‘unMalawian’ and an insult to those who were sick at the time and in need of hospital beds.

Via SMS

 

The action was normal routine within Ministry of Health. The problems are politicians who do not donate, but present facilities as their gifts.

 Via SMS

 

How can they say normal procedure when they can go to Mponela at midnight? This shows that there is something fishy, amenewo ndi akuba amangidwe.

Via SMS

 

 

On CMS story

Congratulations on bringing out an anomaly at Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST) through your exclusive report. But it appears that this is the first incident that happened at CMST. Before the saga, the country’s drug house was in the public and government’s good books. There were many things happening at CMST which were not getting reported. The credibility of the whistle-blower must also be examined as he is a supplier to CMST. The drug business in Malawi is in exclusive hands of some people and they will fight together to swallow the government business and the taxpayers’ money. The ACB must also investigate the role of such business personnel and their fairness in dealing with government.    

 FM/Via e-mail