Kamuzu Central Hospital has become a death trap: ‘Dispensing expired drugs’
The health care system at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe has turned the facility into a death trap with Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health Juliana Lunguzi alleging that the use of expired drugs equipment is crippling the hospital’s operations.
A nurse by profession, Lunguzi pointed out that the health of patients may be compromised through consumption of expired drugs.
Lunguzi and her committee toured the hospital on Tuesday on a fact-finding mission to appreciate challenges the referral hospital in facing.
“It is unfortunate that Kamuzu Central Hospital cannot handle serious emergencies,” said Lunguzi who is also Malawi Congress Party (MCP) member of Parliament (MP)for Dedza East.
Doctors at KCH are reportedly diagnosing patients using guess work due to lack of essential equipment and the hospital’s laboratory equipment is most times not functional.
The diagnosis machines such as the computerised tomography (CT) scan and full blood count (FBC) machine, have not been working consistently at KCH, forcing doctors to guess patient’s ailments or ask them to seek diagnosis from other hospitals.
KCH also has no oxygen concentrated machines and only has one X-ray machine serving patients from the central region districts.
The hospital director Dr. Jonathan Ngoma admitted they were facing “serious challenges.”
While taxpayers are struggling to access treatment, with some obviously dying in the process, those responsible for the mess [including cashgaters] easily access treatment in private hospitals elsewhere.
Malawi the land of pain
CMs samagula new drugs , aku mpereka business under ” Buy Malawi campaign” from Malawi manufacturers. But guess what most drugs and supplies are imported but only labelled made in Malawi. Big fish in management has shares in these so called buy malawi manufacturers. prices are more than double and quantities are exagerrated. Investigate Dr. Moses
The Chairman on Parliamentary committee on Health seems to have gone to KCH on a fault finding Mission. What i expected from this SRN/RNM WAS TO SEAT DOWN WITH HOSPITAL AUTHORITIES AND CHECK HOW MUCH THEY GOT FROM PARLIAMNET AND HOW THEY PRIORITISE USE OF THESE MONEYS. SHE SHOULD THEN HAVE GONE INTO RECORDS OF SERVICE FOR THESE MACHINES, WHEN WERE THEY LAST RECEIVED AND SERVICED, WHY ARE THEY DISPENSING EXPIRED DRUGS, CONSULTED MALAWI PHARCY MEDICINES AND POISONS BOARD , THE MEDICAL COUNCIL OF MALAWI AND CENTRAL MEDICAL STORES TRUST. THESE ARE STAKE HOLDERS WHO MIGHT Have helped to get… Read more »
Courtesy of the DPP Government. Koma anymata awa honestly taluza nawo bwanji. Nothing seems to be working. The centre cannot hold. Too sad for the country we love so much to be in hands of a bunch of misfits masquerading as leaders .
Well done for drawing the extent of this to public attention… all this so many years after freedom from colonial rule! However, while those in power can travel abroad for medical treatment and don’t care what their poorer fellow Malawians must suffer, why would they work to improve things?
High level corruption at central medical stores, medicines bought at exagerrated prices and more than required, to please themselves, as CMS director ali partner mu Malawi pharmacies.
We’re suffering twice here, pay very high taxes and buy drugs on our own when we fall sick. The minister of health challenged the August house that there are drugs in all the hospitals, did he mean expired drugs? We are tired of these thieves, shame to DPP & its supporters!!!!!