Malawi to delay health workers pay, govt asks them to brace

Malawi Government has warned its employees in the health sector to expect a delay in the payments of their February salaries and nurses have since bemoaned the sad development.

The Memo
The Memo

According to a Memo from the Secretary for Health, a Mr. B.K Chapalapata to all district and central health directors and officers, the salary delay is due to change in payment system.

The country’s banks are switching their payment system following the adoption of the Malawi National Switch by government.

According to a Memo from the Secretary for Health, a Mr. B.K Chapalapata to all district and central health directors and officers, the salary delay is due to change in payment system.

The country’s banks are switching their payment system following the adoption of the Malawi National Switch by government.

A nurse at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital who opted for anonymity said the change in payment system is a welcome idea but the fact that it will cause a delay in salary makes it all worse because it will affect them in different ways and make their day to day life difficult as they rely on the salary in their daily activities.

“We rely on our salaries for our homes to survive. For me to get to work I need to use that same money for transport. I do not know but i just think there could have been another way that government could have used so that it should not lead to delay in salaries.”

In the Memo, Chapalapata also warned the employees to brace for more tough times ahead.

”I wish to inform you that there is a strong possibility that salaries for the month of February, 2015 will be delayed,” reads the Memo in part.

Nurses in Malawi asked to brace
Nurses in Malawi asked to brace

Chapalapata said it was not certain as for how long the ‘possible’ delay would last, warning ”There is also possibility of initial unexpected problems for the first few months.”

Recently, government has been facing industrial strikes in relation to salary increments and delays.

Malawi faces a severe shortage of health workers, a factor that has contributed greatly to high maternal mortality in the country.

Most clinical care is performed by mid-level providers an demotivating factors within the Malawian health system are pushing workers into private, non-governmental and other non-health related positions.

Most health workers are dumping the sector mostly due to delays and inconsistencies in salary payments as well as lack of transparent processes and criteria for upgrading or promotion.

The most recent health worker to patient densities (2009) are 0.019 physicians and 0.343 nursing and midwifery personnel per 1,000 population, and there are ongoing vacancies across all nursing and clinical cadres.

In addition to these shortages, the health sector in Malawi is also faced with uneven distribution of staff, with more than half of the doctors working in the four  central hospitals and a few in district hospitals.—(Additional reporting by Taonga Mtambo, Nyasa Times)

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Mcjobra Chanza
9 years ago

Thats very bad.

Proff. Ngangabulawayo
Proff. Ngangabulawayo
9 years ago

Chefourpence, this issue is not triblistic, govt should just come up with a vibrant solution. Parliament session has consumed all the govt resources including civil servants salaries. Why did they not delay the parliamentarians allowances? govt should just come open that there is no money due to cashgate and these are the effects. The situations would be similar to those of the late Bingu’s regime. Malawians should take care otherwise the future is sour as indicted by Chapalapata.

Doctor
9 years ago

Use Common Sense Proffession switching Is The Best Solution lets try some thing else, when will nurses get rich with these

chefourpence
9 years ago

kwachuluka atumbuka akuba kwambiri: auzeni anthu zoona kuti kuli payroll audit. What a poor PR gimmick!

dadaboma
dadaboma
9 years ago

These are the wages of voting for DPP. Changing of National Switch for banks cannot lead to delay in salary payment. Govt of DPP has no money – it is broke. DPP has made Malawi the poorest country in the world, worse than Somalia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and every other country on the face of the world – courtesy of DPP. The govt has started depositing civil servants salary in fixed deposits and in treasury bills so they can generate profits in terms of interests which they use to meet salary increments. And they’re doing it in rotation – today… Read more »

Samuel
Samuel
9 years ago

Mr. Chapalapata is not better placed to explain this. Something is wrong in Ministry of Health. You remember you called all employees account numbers by 6th February, 2014. I think you want to compare actual number of employees on the ground and those on payroll in order to catch hosts. This was the whole essence of course. A Chapalapata reason mwapeleka apayi ndiyosamveka. Technocrats know what is happening.

sincara
sincara
9 years ago

Before realising this statement mr chapalapata, you were supposed to ask the accountant general how long this will take.ukufuna ndani ayimbeko fon?

Achimidzimidzi
Achimidzimidzi
9 years ago

Surely banks could have notified their clients that there will be facing problems in making certain transactions or cashing.

Musayipetse mbiri ya ma banking chondii!!

Achimidzimidzi
Achimidzimidzi
9 years ago

Mr. Chapalapata be honest. Let ministry of healthy put the money in banks we will see how to get the money. Otherwise, I cannot understand how the changes in banking system can affect your ministry. Are bank account numbers changing as well?

You are being dishonest. Reason being that other people are already paid and some are being paid although changes are being implemented.

In other words you’re saying no transactions/entries will be made during this period.

Apatseni cash musatinemize ifenso timalipa anthu and we know there other means of paying people.

richo
richo
9 years ago

Why has the National Switch change only affected the Health sector? I thought the National Switch initiative is a solution that allows account holders of another bank to withdraw from another bank’s ATM? How does that affect salary loading into an officer’s account?

Is it a scape-goat? Or my understanding is a bit shallow?

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