Malawi Pharmacy board splashes K75,000 shopping vouchers to workers 

Malawi Pharmacy, Medicine and Poison Board (PMPB) organized a party and splashes shopping vouchers worth K75000 to all its workers over 40 people.

This was against the 13th cheque freeze which government confirmed that it remains in force by then.

According to our source, this is despite the reason that the lowest paid employee at the board, a watchman, receives about K200 000 salary per month.

In an interview with Nyasa Times, the board’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Mphatso Kawaye said the night long party was organized  using the social welfare funds.

He could not disclose the costs for the party.

On the shopping vouchers, Kawaye was mum saying he doesn’t have information as to where the funds came from.

“I am not aware but I can try to find out and come back to you with the information,” he said.

The ban of the 13th cheque by government encompassed everything that may in the end mean that extra money has been spent on staff, be it bonuses and shopping vouchers.

Meanwhile, the Central Medical Stores Trust has also been caught pants down after it splashed K18 million shopping vouchers to its employees.

The Trust’s Board Chairperson Evelyn Itimu was quoted in the Daily Times Newspaper as saying they were not aware of a moratorium not to give out shopping vouchers.

Chairperson of the Parliamentary Health Committee Juliana Lunguzi said the development is absurd saying that “those statements are just policies on paper like is the case with most austerity measures that the government purports to issue and people are just paying lip-services to them.”

Treasury spokesperson was quoted as saying government austerity measures are being applied across the board.

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