Nonm elects new committee
National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (Nonm) has elected new executive leaders at its sixth biennial general meeting in Lilongwe on Friday.
St John of God Nursing College in Mzuzu principal Shouts Simeza was elected as the body’s president, replacing veteran health advocate Dorothy Ngóma who has served the organisation both as an executive director and president for many years.
Simeza will govern the organisation for the next four years.
In his acceptance speech after being elected, Simeza said he will prioritise issues affecting the welfare of nurses and midwives in Malawi for their wellbeing and also work closely with government to achieve common goals.
He also assured NNO that his leadership will ensure prudence in the management of finances.
Said Simeza: “Let me assure you our partners that we will do everything possible to ensure that we have proper financial management and you can be assured of proper use of the resources that you channel to us.”
Meanwhile, Norwegian Nurses Organisation (NNO) senior adviser Kristin Iversen says a forensic audit by one of the biggest global audit firms last year has shown that there was no misappropriation of funds at Nonm.
Last year, NNO, which provides financial support to Nonm with funding from Norad, halted the funding following reports of financial abuse from some of its members.
But speaking during the official opening of Nonm’s 6th biennial general meeting at Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN) in Lilongwe on Thursday, Iversen said the audit was done because NNO wanted a review of all its partners.
She said: “It became a long and labour-intensive process which basically halted most of Nonm’s activities for months. Since funds were limited in the period, little information came out to Nonm’s members. But the conclusion of the audit firm was that there was no misappropriation of funds.”
But Iversen said the audit report suggested that there is room for improvement in some financial management procedures by Nonm and so far, much has been done already to address the weaknesses.
“And as Nonm’s partner, we will continue to keep our focus on strengthening financial management, administration and internal control,” she said.
Minister of Health Atupele Muluzi said Nonm is a great partner to government through the support it renders to Malawians.
“Your membership, which is available in government, private and Christian Health Association of Malawi [Cham] hospitals plays a crucial role in delivering quality health care,” said Muluzi.
Others that have been elected into the Nonm executive committee are Hanna Mtemangómbe as first vice-president, Osman Assan as second vice-president, Tawile Boko as national treasurer and Tuwepo Mwitha as vice-national treasurer. Febby Magawa, Alufeyo Chirwa, Violet Bandawe, Duncan Kwaitana and Memory Saidi have been elected zone chairpersons for the North, Central East, Central West, South West and South East zones, respectively.
About 3 000 delegates from all the zones attended the meeting.
