Tag Archives: Bwaila Hospital

Health

Health Minister Baloyi goes undercover to expose corruption syndicates at Bwaila Hospital

MaraviPost

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Minister of Health Madalitso Baloyi on Saturday carried out an undercover visit to Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe to experience firsthand the challenges faced by ordinary Malawians when seeking medical services.

To avoid recognition, the Minister disguised herself as a regular patient.

She wore a red head wrap (duku), a simple dress with a chitenje, and ndi nsapato za Sofia, blending in with other patients arriving at the facility.

Upon arrival at the hospital gate, a security guard asked in the usual aggressive informal tone patients often encounter.

“Masiteni muli bwanji?”

The Minister replied that she had come to seek medical help.

The guard then handed her a piece of paper with the number 205, indicating her position in the queue.

According to the Minister, the guard allegedly suggested that if she wanted to be attended to more quickly without waiting in line, she could pay K10,000.

She declined the offer and proceeded through the normal process.

Inside the hospital, she went to the reception desk where the receptionist asked if she had a health passport.

When she said she did not have one, she was told to buy one before being registered.

The Minister then purchased a health passport and registered under the name Mercy Banda, stating that she was born on 12 October 1986 and lived in Kandikole, Area 36 in Lilongwe.

After registration, she joined the queue to see a clinician. While waiting, she observed several concerning practices.

She noted that some clinicians were speaking harshly to patients, while others were reportedly allowing certain individuals to jump the queue after paying K10,000.

In one instance, a patient who complained of not being treated right was told: “ngati mukuzimva kulemera, mupite ku Mwaiwathu (go to a private hospital).”

The Minister arrived at the hospital at 9:00 AM, but she was only attended to around 1:00 PM, after several hours of waiting.

She also expressed concern about the lack of privacy in consultation rooms, explaining that up to 10 patients were brought in at the same time and asked to explain their medical problems in front of one another.

According to her observations, the clinician was often writing prescriptions or notes before patients had fully explained their symptoms.

In her own case, she said that before she could fully describe her condition, which involved stomach pains, the clinician had already written a request for a malaria test.

The Minister said the experience gave her valuable insight into what many Malawians go through when seeking healthcare services in public hospitals.

She stated that the undercover visit helped her better understand the challenges patients face, including long waiting times, alleged corruption, poor patient handling, and lack of privacy.

The Ministry of Health has indicated that the findings from the visit will help inform efforts to improve service delivery in public health facilities across the country.

Lifestyle

Concerned Citizen: ESCOM Fails Bwaila Hospital in Life-and-Death Moment

MaraviPost

By a concerned husband who passed this to me to help in circulating…

ESCOM fails Bwaila Hospital in life-and-death moment

To whoever can act right now, this Sunday afternoon, as lives hang in the balance,

This is an SOS.

I am at Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe with a woman in labour. She is waiting for an operation. Another woman is already on the operating table. Doctors are ready.

But there is no electricity.

No power in a hospital. In a maternity theatre. In a life-and-death situation.

This is not new. We are told power faults at Bwaila are routine. The ESCOM line is unreliable. Always failing. This has become “normal”.

Yet homes and shops in town have electricity right now—Area 23, Area 25, Area 36, Area 12.

So why is a hospital in darkness?

Some places must never lose power—especially hospitals. Human life is at stake. There are no excuses.

ESCOM, do your job. Fix the line supplying Bwaila Hospital once and for all. Repeated faults here are not technical problems. They are negligence. They are incompetence. May be they want the hospital to bribe them so they can fix the recurrent problems once and for all. ESCOM’s blindness to this problem ignores a simple truth: those who climb poles can fall, and when they do, they will need the same hospital and power they are withholding.

Do not blame the hospital. The administrators have done their part. They ran diesel generators for hours. Fuel is now finished. You cannot run a major hospital on diesel every day.

There is no national power crisis in Malawi today. This failure is about ESCOM. Full stop. If anything tragic happens because of this blackout, responsibility lies with ESCOM leadership.

This is shameful. This country deserves better.

Highly Concerned Husband
Bwaila, Lilongwe.

Development

SKC Foundation supports Bwaila Hospital with MK6 million items

MaraviPost

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Saulos Klaus Chilima (SKC) Foundation on Monday donated assorted items worth K6 million to support the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Bwaila hospital in Lilongwe.

The donation comes as the world commemorates Prematurity Day on 17 November and this year’s theme was ‘Give preterm babies a strong start for a hopeful future’.

The Day is observed to raise awareness of preterm births including prematurity-related fatalities, challenges and affordable ways to prevent them.

SKC Foundation Trustee, Joshua Valera said they made the donation after receiving a call from the facility on the challenges the NICU is facing.

“As the world commemorates The World Prematurity Day, a day recognised globally as a moment to reflect on, support, and honour premature babies and their families, we are here to stand with you, to appreciate the incredible work done in this unit, and to offer our support in a small but meaningful way.”

“Caring for premature and critically ill newborns requires skill, patience, and deep compassion. We commend the doctors, nurses, staff, parents and guardians who work tirelessly every day to give these babies a fighting chance. Your dedication truly saves lives,” said Valera.

He added that as a Foundation they are geared to support initiatives that uplift the lives of people and has called upon other stakeholders to assist the government in different sectors.

“We remain committed to supporting initiatives that uphold life, empower families, and honour the legacy of the late Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima,” he said.

Some of the items SKC Foundation donated on the day include; cooking oil, soya pieces, soap and moppers.

In her remarks, Senior Nursing and Midwifery Officer at the hospital, Moneko Zoto thanked the Foundation for the timely assistance as the NICU is facing a number of challenges including limited resources.

Zoto explained that as Bwaila Hospital, they register an average of 200 preterm babies per month, thus putting pressure on already limited hospital resources.

“We face limited resources, some women stay here up to two months for their babies to reach the allowed birth weight,” said Zoto.

Zoto, however said Bwaila has managed to reduce the neonatal maternity rate from 12 percent in 2023 to seven percent in 2024.

Preterm babies’ condition is caused by a number of reasons among other things: infections to the pregnant mothers.

Through its various initiatives and projects, the SKC Foundation seeks to address crucial issues such as education, healthcare, economic empowerment, and social welfare, ensuring that underserved communities have access to opportunities for a better life.

Development

Pastor Kawinga’s wife Ruth donates to Bwaira hospital children’s ward

Dorica Mtenje

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Salvation for All Ministries women’s group, led by Pastor Ruth Kawinga, distributed various essential items to 150 children’s wards and postnatal units at Bwaila Hospital on Thursday, March 26th.

The donated items included baby blankets, infant clothing, blankets, and mops.

While making the donation, Mrs Kawinga stated that they visited the Kangaroo Baby Department to offer support to mothers who have given birth to premature babies.

She emphasized the importance of love and mutual support among women, acknowledging that many face significant challenges. She stressed the need for women to uplift each other both spiritually and physically.

Bwaila Hospital nurse Linda Chimbalanga expressed her gratitude for the timely donation, noting that many mothers struggle to provide for their newborns due to a lack of resources.

She highlighted that Bwaila Hospital receives between 50 and 70 newborns within 24 hours, with only occasional stillbirths, often linked to the long distances mothers travel to reach the referral hospital.

Dyna Lomani from Mtandire, one of the recipients, expressed her gratitude to the ministry and thanked God for blessing her with a baby boy.

Another beneficiary, Teleza Majawa, also appreciated the donation, stating that the blankets would greatly assist in caring for their babies.

Majawa urged the Salvation for All Ministries women’s group to continue their charitable work, emphasizing that many women in the ward are vulnerable and in need of both financial and material support.

Health, Malawi

Malawi’s Bwaila Hospital labor wards closed for lack of deliveries supplies

Maravi Post Reporter
Bwaila Hospital labor wards closed for lack of deliveries supplies

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi is bleeding. The country’s Bwaila Hospital in the capital Lilongwe has temporarily closed its Labour Ward and theatre due to lack of needed supplies for use.

The Maravi Post understand that facility is currently referring expectant women who are due for delivery and patients due for operation to Kamuzu Central Hospital.

Health authorities are yet to comment on the matter.

This comes as Malawi is grappling with forex shortage, lack of essential drugs and medicine in public hospital, high cost of living, fuel crisis, power outages and among others.

Despite challenges rocking the country, President Lazarus Chakwera without shame and remorse keeps on making petty trips and tours both local and international that milk hard-earned taxes.

Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance administration is failing to fix ailing economy for the last two years in power.

Health, Opinion

Of Bishop Simama and his filling station at Bwaila Hospital

Lloyd M’bwana
By Nenenji Mlangeni
You see, many a times I wonder how a lot of these Godly rich guys, who managed to transform their rags to riches status operate, think, dictate, decide but also how they enforce their attitudes for the benefit of the slumbering development at large.
Whether it was written or not, I don’t know, but these richest moguls have that kind of public God fearing appearance that even ends up betraying the public and the poorest as a whole in the end. The public is even at many times forced to vomit unnecessary opinions about them, under the influence of real frustrations.
One such a guy, richest and seemingly gospel guy is Bishop Simama who owns one of the biggest extravagantly-looking churches in town. On paper, you would think he is such a scarce benefit to the nation in terms of both the injection and circulation of cash in our economy, and also in terms of spreading the gospel of God to the lost poor souls, and you would expect him to behave in a most Godly sensible manner. However,  in action, you cannot even believe what he thinks about.
Look, we have Bwaila hospital, famously known as Bottom(Botomu) just after Lilongwe Bridge, near Chiluli’s magnificent tiled flat. The hospital, am told, was centrally located there by Kamuzu, and it is one of the busiest free government hospitals in Malawi.
The hospital was deliberately elevated to help in uplifting the lives of the poor who have nothing for their daily levity,  those who cannot afford paying for healthy services. It was strictly established as a push factor for the healthy status of the have-nots. Ask any woman from my Likuni side, they will tell you plainly that they always rush there whenever they want to give birth, or are suffering from anything.
People come from very far outskirts of rural areas in Lilongwe, many walking on bare foot just to benefit from this free hospital not because it is in town, but because it is free and they are swimming in absolute poverty, and they cannot manage to pay for their healthy services not because they are stingy, but because they have nothing to even feed for themselves.
Now, look, filling stations are places of high intensity of danger, and those who have witnessed international catastrophic fires emanating from filling stations and or fuel tanks of fallen cars will agree with me that it’s an epidemic that is very silent but too hard to contain in times of its eruption.
Suffice to say, fires emanating from fuels cover large distances and it is difficult to extinguish it because it always extinguishes the extinguisher. Worse still, it is too quick to spread, it’s danger, I mean real danger.
With these free facts and many world evidences at hand, who would think a God fearing rich guy like Bishop Simama, who owns a church to symbolise the care that he has for his children, can think of allocating and constructing a magnificent filling station near a hospital that carters for the poverty stricken individuals, individuals who are his sheep?
Sheep that are in dire need of a healthy recovery service ? Am not here to judge but this is too evil, sinful, immoral, wrong, morally wrong, wrongful, bad, iniquitous, corrupt, black-hearted, ungodly, unholy, irreligious, unrighteous, sacrilegious, profane, blasphemous, impious, base, mean, vile, you can finish the race.
Rich men like Simama, who are busy masquerading as church goers and God fearing testimonies for their riches are also the ones who are in the forefront in spearheading and activating dangerous traps for the lives of the poorest countrymen. Not only that, but threatening the lives of the poorest countrymen in their healthy recovering locations, imagine how hell is that ?
And a very disturbing and uncalled for scenario is the fact that he has been warned by the authorities to avoid putting his filling station dream into fruition. As a rich man of God, you wouldn’t think it could take him millions of seconds to think about it,  but ironically, he still went ahead with his poorest ambitious plan. Am told now he is busy bribing political parties, administrators,  departments, authorities et al in a bid to still open his filling station at that wrong place. Very pathetic rich guys. Rich in cash but poorest in thoughts.
Everyone who knows Simama, cannot believe that with all the stacks of billions he owns would be unable to look for a proper area to construct his filling point. That place will have to be used an expansion of the road in future. We already have unnecessary queues right there. And the distance between the filling station and the road itself is too small. He is in principle promoting the queuing problem right there.
It is indeed more important to be rich in humanity than to possess racks on racks and be more poorer in wisdom. In this case of Simama, I see the useless power of wealth overtaking a Samaritan human character,  I see wealth running to decide faster than the spiritual gospel itself, I see a noble common sense that’s too cheap being overrun by a pure financial bondage.
In Simama, I typically see a heart full of rags on rags of wisdom as opposed to his racks on racks worldly materials. My prayer is that whenever I will be like Simama, never let a financial bondage to overtake my good humour and wisdom. Simama needs more praying players and prayers.
If i can use a nation’s analogy, I would say Simama is ‘USA’ in worldly materials, but ‘Malawian’ in wisdom.
Law and order

Malawi Police hunting baby-dumping mother in Lilongwe

Malawi News Agency (MANA)

Malawi Police is looking for a woman who dumped a three-day old baby at Chinsapo 11 Nsewa cemetery in the capital, Lilongwe.

Lilongwe Police Spokesperson, Kingsley Dandaula said police received a report on March 11 that a baby had been dumped in a nearby graveyard by an unknown mother.

“The informant was going to church on the stated date and on her way she heard the crying of a baby coming from the graveyard,” explained Dandaula.

The matter was reported to Chinsapo police unit and officers took the baby to Bwaila Hospital for care and medical attention.

Dandaula said Police investigations have been instituted to trace the culprit who, when arrested, will answer the charge of child dumping

Business, Health

Airtel responds to Bwaila Hospital’s SOS

Lloyd M’bwana

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)- In response to Bwaila Hospital’s call for assistance, telecommunication company Airtel Malawi on Thursday donated medical essentials worth about MK3 million.

Receiving the donation, Lilongwe District Health Officer Dr. Alinafe Mbewe, commended Airtel for the timely donation.

Airtel Ambassador Mwawi Kumwenda donating medical items to Bwaila hospital

The donated items included, among other items, gluci injections, corphyllin injections, ww-Oxycontin, paracetamol, hydralazine injections, heavy duty sanitary gloves, gauze squares, chlorine, urine dip sticks, Macintosh sheets, sterile gloves, nifocor and nifedipine.

Speaking after donating the items, Airtel Malawi’s Facilities Manager Dorothy Bwanali applauded the hospital staff and mothers for rising above the resource challenges that Bwaila and most hospitals in Malawi are continuing to face.

“The fact that Bwaila Maternity ward delivers up to 50 babies a day against various resource challenges of inadequate medicine, beds and even mattresses is a marvel,” said Bwanali.

On her part, Dr. Mbewe highlighted the Lilongwe DHO’s other health centres like Area 25, Nathenje, Chileka, Mitundu and Kabudula also require support with medical equipment.

“These items have come at the right time for our maternity ward which utilizes a lot of resources due to the number of births we have on a daily basis,” Dr. Mbewe said.