MP presses Malawi VP to explain bed saga

Members of Parliament on Tuesday asked Malawi Vice-President Khumbo Kachali to explain to the House the Mponela Rural Hospital beds saga.

In the saga, several hospital beds were transferred from the facility to two constituencies in Mzimba during parliamentary bye-elections campaigns in the district.

Kachali, who is also Minister of Health, has since promised that he would bring a statement into the House on the saga.

Dowa Central MP Jean Kalirani (DPP) raised the issue as a supplementary question to Kachali and despite intervention by Speaker Henry Chimunthu Banda, she was later supported by DPP leader in the House George Chaponda who said the issue attracted an outcry among Malawians.

“We would want to have the Honourable Minister give a full explanation on what happened when beds were moved from Mponela to Mzimba District. The moving of the beds left children and expectant mothers sleeping on the floor,” said Kalirani.

However, Chimunthu Banda intervened by asking Kalirani how the matter related to a question from Mzimba South East MP Rabson Shaba who asked the minister to deploy staff and equipment to Unyolo Health Centre in his area.

“The relation is the transfer of the equipment from Dowa to Mzimba,” shot back Kalirani in her response to the Speaker’s query.

After a brief exchange, Chimunthu Banda asked Kachali to come up with a ministerial statement on the matter.

At the peak of the campaign for the by-elections in Mzimba, 13 beds were taken at midnight from Mponela Rural Hospital to Edingeni Health Centre in Mzimba Central Constituency whereas some beds were taken from Kamuzu Central Hospital to Euthini Health Centre in Mzimba South West.

The by-elections saw independent candidate Joseph Mavuto Kachali winning the Mzimba Central Constituency whereas People’s Party (PP) Raymond Nkhata won the Mzimba South West Constituency.