Chakwera talks against ‘selfish, careless behaviour’: Unveils K17bn Covid strategy with new hospitals
After directing that Vice-President Saulos Chilima should lead a ministerial task-team to review Covid-19 guidelines in order to respond effectively to the virus pandemic, President Lazarus Chakwera on Sunday came out with substance over style to deliver a comprehensive strategy aimed at defeating the invisible enemy.
Among others, President Chakwera announced the injection of over K17 billion (about $22million) into the Covid-19 strategy that will facilitate the hiring of new healthcare frontline workers and the construction of new treatment units to complement overwhelmed public hospitals.
Hospitals across the country are struggling to meet rising demand as Covid-19 hospital admissions rise to the highest point in the pandemic and the new, more transmissible variant of the virus spreads across the country.
In the face of rising demand, the President said government will construct temporary hospital such as 300-bed capacity field hospital at Blantyre Youth Centre, turn State House in Zomba into a temporary hospital to cope with patients affected by Covid-19, Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe will be a 100-bed makeshift hospital and another field hospital will be created in Mzuzu.
He also said K100 million will be injected into hospitals run by Christian Health Association of Malawi to support payment of health workers.
In his speech monitored on taxpayer funded Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) television, Chakwera said Malawians must accept that “as a country, we do not have unlimited amounts of money to do whatever we fancy.”
Hitting at critics, he said: “ Some in this country are in the habit of making proposals that require billions in funds without stating where such funds will come from.”
He said: “As a nation, this luxury of living in fantasy land is one we don’t have. We must make our decisions within the reality of our situation.”
The President said he is running a country with a debt of K4.1 trillion “ so we don’t have all the money in the world to fight this pandemic.”
Chakwera said Malawians should accept that the scale of the pandemic demands a change of priorities.
“This is important to say because there are some who are still obsessed with politics, some who are still obsessed with cabinet appointments and reshuffles, and some who are still obsessed with campaign promises that were made on assumptions and in conditions that no longer hold. When a ship is at sea and it comes across unexpected rapids and is hit by an expected storm, only a foolish captain would insist on maintaining the same course,” said Chakwera.
The Malawi leader – who last week lost two Cabinet ministers in a space of a day to the virus – said priority from the released Covid-19 funds should be on immediate procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) for all frontline health workers, 1000 cylinders oxygen along with accessories such as flow meters and monitors, which “must be in the country by the end of the week, even by chartered plane if need be.”
Chakwera ordered that schools in Malawi will close for at least 15 days from Monday under new restrictions and also ordered the introduction of night curfews from 21:00 local time to 5am and the reduction of public gatherings from 100 people to 50.
The President said it must be accepted that the virus pandemic is being spread by people’s behaviour.
“No matter how many policies, or law- enforcement protocols, or treatment programs the government puts in place, the virus will continue to spread and to kill the most vulnerable among us if our behaviour does not change,” he said.
Chakwera said “selfish and careless behaviour” fuelling the pandemic at individual and communal levels must stop.
“I trust that you will change and call out others around you who are not compliant. We must be our brother’s and sister’s keeper,” said Chakwera.
A third of Malawi’s 300 coronavirus deaths have taken place this month.
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Sorry mister president with all due respect I think you are the most selfish among all. You continued globetrotting with a big group of followers knowing there was Corona. Ask magufuli and kagame they don’t do that
I agree. Why can’t he reduce the fuel allowance for his ministers and troop of advisers.
Selfishness starts with his cabinet and advisors where they still want to draw 2000 litres of fuel each yet there are travel restrictions. For goodness sake why do advisors need 2000 litres when their job is just to advise the ignorant president.
This president is the most dull and ignorant president Malawi has ever had. Imagine having 30 ministerial advisors and over 20 secondary advisors.for goodness sake a reverend wants to be advised on religion and another stupid area is where he wants to be advised on chiefs. What stupidity?
3/4 of that money will be used for allowances and go directly to Mcp pockets. Palibe chanzeru akamba apa.
But this corona plandemic did not stop this gorilla from travelling to Israel. Did not stop a posse of mcp meat ridders including Eisenhoe Mkaka wovunda mcp goon from travelling to South Africa, did not stop any of these shit for brains politicians from going anywhere for non emergency trips. Even The president of america did not travel to anywhere in 2020 except within country but no. This self agrandising fake bus calls himself a Captain really? If Malawi was a ship or a plane manned by this fake man of gawd with a fake american accent I would not… Read more »
Izi ndiye ayi 🦆
Then what is? The mask has taken away your ability to think or the truth just can sit in your shit for brain self . May be you are related to the selfish president or his family. These are facts but he is here gaslighting the poor and arresting the poor. Explain what is ?
You have a big problem.who looks like a gollila between peter muthalikaband chakwera?
I think you belong to the gorilla class. Since you are offended by my comment. Go and shave first. Go and put a mask on and make sure you choke on the lack of oxygen and then come back and tell me what my problem is
The only selfish person is the greasy goon that stole the election and claims to be a leader. He is the one pocketing ma funds instead of actually giving free masks, giving free testing and most of all implementing sound social distancing. The most vulnerable is everyone but Chakwera thinks he is exempt because the is man of gawd.
Nonse amene munavotela awa ulemu wanu. Timakunyadilani.
Far much better than boma la nkhalamba lokuba lija. They hoovered all covid-19 donated money.
Yes they hoovered it since u said that there’s no COVID.
Churches, pubs and all gatherings should have been stopped forthwith. Also it doesn’t make sense for boarding students in combined schools (with day schoolers) to remain at campuses.
Politicians are greedy, all they know doing best is pocketing funds of the needy.
Malawi will always be poor and vision will always be blurry unless the old dander heads are removed from those power seats. Give opportunity to the fresh minds and see what they can do…I mean it’s a new world and thinking levels are different now, these other ministers don’t even know what they are doing. It’s a shame!!!!! Mr President think wisely!!!! Eliminate those stupid heads from the parliament issa
Facts facts facts, eliminate the old members. They are thinking backwards and not forward!
These young men and women out here doing the most and if they were given the chance to run things on a super charged perspective, things would be better I swear.
Covid-19: The Movie – let the vulnerable perish. It should not scare you whether the vulnerable are cabinet ministers, Manase vendors, HIV/aids patients, etc. ..let’em go. This will create space for the fittest to take this nation forward.
Doesn’t the careless and selfish behaviour begin with the presidency? We have our own African example in the name of Thomas Sankara who accounted for every cent spent. He lived below average life, drove a simple Renault car and when he was shot dead, he had only US400 in his wallet. Compare this life with our presidency and cabinet and you would ask yourself if it is worthy buying such expensive Prados for the cabinet and the PSs, paying for unnecessary allowances, unnecessary domestic and international trips etc- all at the expense of no drugs in hospitals, no adequate primary,… Read more »
Malawians like talking too much about politics. That’s why Malawi will never be developed because of the useless and jobless people sitting on the social media all day long. Zinabwera mwochedwa zachizungu