Article By: Lloyd M’bwana
The country’s Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), health professional bodies, patients on Friday, November 20, presented their dismay through a petition to Members of Parliament (MPs) over persistently inadequate national budget allocation towards the health sector which has aggravated service delivery.
The development comes amid reports of insufficient food staffs for patients, grounded ambulances and medical equipment, drugs shortage in public hospitals which has put citizenry at an awkward position when seeking health support.
Through a solidarity march to Malawi Parliament, the citizens presented their grievances seeking for immediate action towards deteriorating of public health service delivery purportedly organized by Malawi Network of Religious Leaders Living with or personally affected by HIV/AIDS (MANERELA+), Center for Development of People
(Cedep), National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (NONM), Malawi Health Equity Network (MEHN), Pharmaceutical Society of Malawi (PHASOM), Medical Doctors Union of Malawi (MDUM), Patient and Community Welfare Foundation (PAWEM), Paramedics and Allied Health Workers (PAHW) and Radiographers Association.
The petition calls upon law makers to exercise moral conscience to take critical look at the underfunding of the health sector and how this is increasingly putting the lives of their constituents in danger.
“We are concerned that in as much as Malawi has committed US$ 30 million towards strengthening health systems, there is no clear road map of where and how the funds will be generated and what exactly will be supported with these funds.
“We are also concerned with the unprecedented failure to recruit 51 newly qualified doctors, 34 pharmacists and 339 nurses and midwives as currently 21 doctors have secured internship and employment outside the country, inevitably.
“Stoppage of Locum Service due to cited inadequate funding from government continues to increase the work load on the already overloaded remaining few nurses and midwives as one nurse works on behalf of four people which has greatly compromised the health service delivery of nursing and midwifery care.
“The significant reduction of Other Recurrent Transactions (ORT) allocation from MK16.5 billion in 2014/2015 national budget to MK12.7 billion in 2015/2016 financial year as the cut has affected districts and central hospitals receiving the lowest allocation in recent year at 4.7% of the total health sector budget leading to failure to settle water and electricity bills, inadequate food for patients (one meal a day) and failure to maintain equipment (non functional X-ray machines)”, reads part of the petition which Juliana Lunguzi, Chairperson for Parliamentary Committee on health received and promised to table their concerns in the August House for immediate action.
The Maravi Post later caught up with Dorothy Ngoma, NONM’ Chairperson after addressing the news conference immediately after presenting the petition on the time lime towards concerns petitioned lawmakers who hinted that action must be done now before the situation gets out of hand.
“There are other small matters which can be done immediately while others are medium and long term hence we can’t give government through Parliament timeline. What we want is action which will change the situation better.
“Lawmakers must review the 2015/2016 budget allocation to health sector towards meeting the well-deserved 15 percent of total expenditure as stipulated in the Abuja Declaration to which Malawi is a signatory”, appeals Ngoma.
Echoing on the same Lloyd Mtalimanja,The Acting Executive Director for MHEN called upon legislators to fast track reviewing and enacting of a revised Pharmacy, Medicines and Poisons Board Act through a consultative process and also speed up the consultation process on health financing including user fees as an option to sustainably finance the health sector.
