Minister says HIV/Aids affect efforts in land and housing management in Malawi
Efforts to provide land and housing management services to the public have over the years been affected by the effects of HIV and Aids in workplaces, Minster of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Bright Msaka revealed on Friday.
Speaking during his Ministry’s HIV and Aids Prevention Awareness Open Day under the theme: “Preventing a Further Spread of HIV in the Workplace and Mitigating the Impact” held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Lilongwe, Msaka said, the scourge has not been without effect on the ministry as it has been seen by staff’s deaths, absenteeism and vacancy rates.
“This has not affected the ministry only but also a largest employer in the land, the government which has suffered the largest toll like increasing costs due to deaths, increased absenteeism as a result of illness that affect productivity, medical bills and worsening morale among civil servants due to the pandemics,” said Msaka.
He added that the pandemic has damaged the country’s social and economic fabric, and how families that are pillars of human race have been torn apart as the epidemic has plucked out breadwinners, leaving resource poor communities struggling to cope up with a growing number of orphans
The Minister further said his ministry developed an HIV and Aids Strategic Plan for 2013 to 2017 to guide interventions aimed at addressing the challenges that have come with the pandemic at his ministry.
“The plan seeks to prevent further transmission of HIV amongst the staff , their spouses, clients and surrounding communities where staff from technical departments often spend days”.
Deputy Secretary for Lands, Housing and Urban Development also Coordinator for HIV and Aids at the Ministry, Eunice Chipangula said a health workforce is a catalyst to development, the Ministry will therefore live no storn unturned to see to it that the staffs are health.
“As a Ministry, we have not been spared with the pandemic due to the nature of work which is mostly field work and put them at risk,” she said.
She therefore urged the staff to rise up and defeat the challenges that have come due to the pandemic.
A Eunice ake amkakwera ya amai aka?
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fokofuuu
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Jst wasting reasouces til when? since 1984 mungoba ndalama basi kuzilemeletsa akapolo inu muzava ifa yowawa!!!
The whole govt and the nation is affected by aids and this is being tackled by the appropriate authorities. WhAt we don’t want is ministries starting abiding or using nac or global aids money through these lame excuses and fake / dubious programmes / strategic plans / proposals in the pretence of tackling aids. The same reasons Dausi’s NIB tried to use nac money.
Please provide information which by now is available nationally
to your staff as to what they are supposed yo do to prevent getting the disease or what they should if they havegot the disease.
Thats Eunice Chipangula, a very intelligent, hard working and well organized lady. we love you mama
TRANSPORT SECTORS IN THE COUNRY PLEASE DO IT ALSO.
So they’ll leave no storn unturned? Kkkkkkkkkkk ine komango penya kuti zitheka bwanji! Kumachitako edit koma
Its worrisome indeed
Nkhani yovuta
Bravo Hon. Minister and DS. May other ministries emulate the good example by fast tracking the launch and implementation of their HIV Workplace Policies.