By Amry Nyondo
On Wednesday, Vice President Michael Usi made a surprise visit to clinics and hospitals in Chikwawa district, ostensibly to ensure that civil servants were arriving on time.
However, his actions seemed more like a publicity stunt than a genuine attempt to address the deeper issues plaguing the healthcare sector.
Usi’s visit was seemingly inspired by the late Vice President Saulos Chilima’s efforts to promote punctuality in the public sector,as he said on Tuesday on his way to Blantyre.
But while Chilima’s approach was nuanced and thoughtful, Usi’s methods are heavy-handed and misguided.
Rather than tackling the root causes of the problems facing healthcare workers, such as the lack of essential equipment, supplies, and medicines, Usi has chosen to focus on trivial matters like punctuality.
His questions to the District Health Officer (DHO) were revealing, a sign of shallow understanding of the issues at hand.
In contrast, when Chilima assumed the vice presidency in 2014, he took a more comprehensive approach.
He recognized that the government’s own failures were contributing to the lack of commitment among workers.
He demanded reforms, including timely payment of reasonable salaries, which led to significant improvements in the lives of civil servants.
Sadly, the Mutharika and current government’s failures have eroded the gains made during Chilima’s VP tenure.
Workers are once again are struggling with low pay.
As someone with a background in healthcare, Usi should be advocating for meaningful solutions, not merely aping Chilima’s style without substance.
By focusing on punctuality rather than the real issues, Usi’s actions come across as a hollow attempt to garner publicity.
If he truly wants to make a positive impact, he must engage with the complexities of the healthcare sector and push for genuine reforms.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author not necessarily of The Maravi Post or Editor
