The country’s health experts and union leaders have threatened to go on strike if Ministry of Health (MoH) will not rescind its decision of withdrawing of health workers who were already deployed to various public hospitals across the nation.
The development comes after the ministry on September 10, 2015 issued a confirming letter to all central hospital directors, district health officers and executive secretary of health service commission that it has withdrawn the redeployment list and offer letters of employment to the newly recruited nurses, midwives, technicians and nursing officers due to insufficient funding to sustain them.
“I write to inform all hospitals of the withdrawal of the letters of offer of appointment which were issued to the newly qualified, nurses, midwives, technicians and nursing officers and community midwifery assistants from the Christian Health Association of Malawi (Cham)
training institutions and the public training institutions of the Malawi College of Health Science, Kamuzu College of Nursing and Mzuzu University.
“The ministry therefore is requesting all hospital directors and district health officers to advise all concerned officers who reported for duties following the letters of appointment that they should not report for duties as said in the letter but must instead take the letters back to the ministry headquarters where they will be issued with new instruction”, concludes the letter signed by MacPhail Magwira MoH’s Principal Secretary.
Thokozani Chilowe one of the affected new cadres, a student from Mzuzu University and who was posted to Zomba Central Hospital told The Maravi Post that the decision was a psychological torture regarding to the readiness made for the deployment.
“I have already spent monies for rentals and other life necessities putting in mind that end of this month will get something. This has affected me psychologically regarding to plans were set for my stay here. Thus, I demand also compensation for the money spent for the time I was at Zomba Central hospital”, demanded Thokozani
Addressing the news conference on Wednesday, September 24 in the capital Lilongwe, The Human Resources for Health Coalition (HRHC) which comprised of Malawi Health Equity Network (Mehn), Cordaid, Uchembere Network, Paramedics and Allied Health Workers Association (PAHWA), National Organization of Nurses and Midwives (NONM), Malawi
Congress of Trade Union (MCTU) and Medical Doctors Union of Malawi
(MDUM) threatened to go on strike if government was not bid by its demand of re-deployment of the said affected health workers.
The grouping said such decision was a violation of the citizens’ right to access to health services as they would spend hours in hospitals due to insufficient of working staff hence the demand to reserve the decision immediately.
“Our worry therefore is raised on the basis that when the national assembly passed the 2015/2016 budget, the 339 graduating students were included with their remuneration as it was clear that leaving their colleges was a planned material time. So where has monies allocated
for new cadres gone well?
“Malawi’s nurse to patient ratio stands ay one to 3, 000 contrary to World Health Organization (WHO)’s recommendation of one to 1,000. Thus, government ought to pay the new cadres. This is a grave mistake and inappropriate.
“Memories are still fresh under the same DPP leadership on how the country lost lives due to power blackouts and non-functional generators compounded by fuel scarcity between 2010 and 2012”, recalls Dorothy Ngoma HRHC’s Chairperson.
Ngoma warned on pending health workers strike if government will refuse to reverse the decision saying monies meant for the recruits must available the same way government has sourced fund for large entourage to UN Summit in the USA.
Pontuis Kalichero Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU)’s General Secretary observed that government withdrawal offer letters from heath workers is a violation of the country’s labour laws saying the ministry must immediately recall them back for duties to save lives of
the rural communities.
“MCTU will continue fighting on this battle until all affected new health care workers are brought back to work to save live who lives in rural areas”, challenges Kalichero.
Juliana Lunguzi, a Chairperson of Parliamentary committee on health said government’s decision for withdrawing of health workers was insensitive to an ordinary Malawian at the village.
“How can you ask donors for funds to train health workers then later you tell the same partner that we won’t make use of their resources output into use? Are we serious as a nation? The monies being used for travelling to UN Summit could be better allocated into this. It just
shows how visionless the leadership the nation is under”, observed Lunguzi
