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Mzuzu Central Hospital faces K70m food deficit

Mzuzu Central Hospital officials have said they are facing difficulties in providing quality food to patients due to financial constraints as they face a K70 million deficit every year.

Hospital director Frank Sinyiza said this yesterday when Minister of Health and Population Jappie Mhango donated a cow and 10 bags of maize weighing 50 kilogrammes to the facility.

He said: “Our annual budget is K180 million, but we get K110 million so we have a deficit of K70 million.

“While we provide the food and have the stocks, it is the quality which is compromised. But these are patients that require good food to recover quickly.”

Sinyiza thanked the minister for the donation, saying most patients at the facility cannot manage on their own because they come from far and lack many things.

He said the donation will go a long way in supporting patients who require material support, but also help in uptake of medication .

On his part, Mhango acknowledged that health facilities have various needs, but said government is ensuring that they have adequate stocks of food.

“The little we have has to be shared. It is this spirit of sharing that President Peter Mutharika teaches us, but also what Jesus Christ told us, and we have to embrace it,” he said. Mzuzu Central Hospital is the main referral for the Northern Region’s six districts of Likoma, Nkhata Bay, Mzimba, Karonga, Rumphi and Chitipa.

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