Times ‘Friday Shaker’ moves Malawi govt to fly boy to India for operation
The impact of ‘Friday Shaker’ exclusive report in Daily Times newspaper has been felt after its recent report has moved government to take responsibility to fly a 14-year-old boy from Mchinji District to undergo specialist urology operation in India.
The oldest daily newspaper launched ‘Friday Shaker’ to publish exclusive human interest stories or investigative reports.
In its latest edition, the paper’s reporter Watipatso Mzungu reported of the boy who has endured the pain of living with three catheters – a flexible tube inserted through a narrow opening into a body cavity, particularly the bladder, for removing fluid – which were inserted beneath his navel after breaking his urinary tract in December 2013 after falling from a tree.
He fell when his peers frightened him that armed nyau/ gule wamkulu (masked dancers) were approaching a tree he had climbed to pluck fruits.
The publication highlighted the excruciating pain the Mchinji boy has endured for four years because the government had failed to fly him abroad for specialist treatment.
And on Monday, Daily Times reported that after Friday Shaker government has been moved to act as senior officials from the ministry visited the boy in Nyamawende Village, Traditional Authority Zulu, to assess his condition and made travel recommendations.
“The boy is in our hands at Mchinji District Hospital where doctors are assessing his condition. We would also like to investigate where things went wrong because the government gives children the priority when it comes to referrals to foreign hospitals,” said Ministry of Health spokesperson, Joshua Malango as quoted by the daily.
Malango could not commit himself on the actual date the boy is expected to be flown to India but indicated that he is on the list of 256 cases of patients waiting to be flown to foreign hospitals for specialist treatment for various ailments.
He said the boy will be given priority “as soon as recommendations are made and funds identified.”
MPHWANGA MULUNGU AKUTSOGOLERA USADANDAULE NDISANAME MWANAYU ANAVULALA KOOPSA BUT FUSOLANGA NDIRAKUTI NTHAWI YO NSEYI AKUFUNAKWABWINO ANALIKUTI? INESO NDIWAKUFUNA KWABWINO KOMA VUTO NDIRI KUTALI NDI KWAO KWA MWANAYO OFF COZ NDINE MPHAWI KOMABE PANG’ONO POKHA NDIMAPEZA CHONCHO NDIKANA MUTHANDIZAKO NDI KANGA CHEPE KOKHA PAULENDO WAKE WA KU INDIA KOMA MAPEMPHERO ANGA ALI PA MWANAYO NDI MAKOLO AKE KUTHUPI SINDIRI NANU KOMA KUUZIMU NDIRINANU ZIKOMO
I can give one important suggestion. What if one can only cancel one political rallies for this good cause n gv the money to pay for his trip. I believe we as Malawians can look at this gesture from a positive view of point
Bunch of palookas
Those responsible for auditing Government systems and procedures need also to take a look at this issue of referrals to hospitals outside the country to establish if there is fair practice. I believe there is not. Though some ordinary people may have the opportunity to travel out of the country for specialist treatment, the majority I believe are those with connections to politicians or senior Government officials. The Doctors do their part in making referrals however there is politics on the issue at the Ministry of Health.