![Jappie: Malawi government is always funding healthy delivery services]()
Government says it shocked with reports there is shortage of drugs in public hospitals and several flaws in the delivery of quality health system delivery.
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![Jappie: Malawi government is always funding healthy delivery services]()
Jappie: Malawi government is always funding healthy delivery services[/caption]
Responding to a questionnaire from
Nyasa Times, Minister of Information, Tourism and Civic Education Jappie Mhango said he was “shocked” despite admitting growing reports of dwindling health services.
Nyasa Times quizzed the minister following a myriad of developments the country’s public health system is facing recently ranging from threats of strikes by health workers to failure by hospitals to provide meals to patients.
Mhango, instead, heaped blame on hospital controlling officers “who do not prioritize government resources.”
He said it was “unfortunate that some government employees were stealing drugs,” citing a truck loaded with drugs that went missing en route to Salima District Hospital.
“Our health workers are not honest,” said Mhango. “Otherwise we’ve never cut or reduced funding to the ministry of health.”
He urged medical personnel in the country not prioritize “allowance issues” saying theirs was “a calling from God.”
Said Mhango: “Let me ask health workers to prioritize government resources. As government we’ve tried our best to make resources available for our health system. No DHO [District Health Officer] can stand up and confirm that their submitted budgets were not funded.”
And, Ministry of Finance spokesperson Nations Msowoya agreed with Mhango.
“The treasury has been funding hospitals according to their funded budgets,” said Msowoya.
Health and Rights Education Programme executive director Maziko Matemba has also called for frugal use of resources in execution of government resources.
If hospitals want to hold meetings, he said, they can use facilities at district level thus saving money that could have been used to book conference rooms.
Jappie: Malawi government is always funding healthy delivery services[/caption]
Responding to a questionnaire from Nyasa Times, Minister of Information, Tourism and Civic Education Jappie Mhango said he was “shocked” despite admitting growing reports of dwindling health services.
Nyasa Times quizzed the minister following a myriad of developments the country’s public health system is facing recently ranging from threats of strikes by health workers to failure by hospitals to provide meals to patients.
Mhango, instead, heaped blame on hospital controlling officers “who do not prioritize government resources.”
He said it was “unfortunate that some government employees were stealing drugs,” citing a truck loaded with drugs that went missing en route to Salima District Hospital.
“Our health workers are not honest,” said Mhango. “Otherwise we’ve never cut or reduced funding to the ministry of health.”
He urged medical personnel in the country not prioritize “allowance issues” saying theirs was “a calling from God.”
Said Mhango: “Let me ask health workers to prioritize government resources. As government we’ve tried our best to make resources available for our health system. No DHO [District Health Officer] can stand up and confirm that their submitted budgets were not funded.”
And, Ministry of Finance spokesperson Nations Msowoya agreed with Mhango.
“The treasury has been funding hospitals according to their funded budgets,” said Msowoya.
Health and Rights Education Programme executive director Maziko Matemba has also called for frugal use of resources in execution of government resources.
If hospitals want to hold meetings, he said, they can use facilities at district level thus saving money that could have been used to book conference rooms.