Crisis at Kamuzu Central Hospital: CT scan machine, X-ray down
Over 90 patients are referred to Bwaila District Hospital in Lilongwe from Kamuzu Central Hospital for scanning and x-ray services after the break down of the largest referral hospital’s computerised tomography (CT) scan machine and x-ray machine respectively.
The development has forced doctors to guess patient’s ailments or ask them to seek diagnosis from other hospitals.
Chiyanjano Kazombo, spokesperson for Kamuzu Central Hospital said the machines broke down in January.
A CT scan detects, among others, tumors, calcifications, haemorrhage and bone trauma as well as scanning livers and kidneys whilst the x-ray machine checks on broken bones.
Kazombo said the x-ray machine has no developer, saying the Central Medical Stores has no developer in stock.
“The matter was reported to the ministry of Health some time back, they are working on it,” said Kazombo.
She said the hospital helps an average of 150 a day for CT scanning and x-ray services, saying now that it is down, 90 of the patients are referred to Bwaila District Hospital for the services, bringing pressure to the district hospital.
Ministry of Health spokesperson Joshua Malango said the ministry is working on the matter.
“We are finalizing with the contractor on the maintenance contract issues, we are now finalizing the paper work,” said Malango.
He could however not say why it has taken long to finalise the contractual issues on the maintenance of the life-saving machines.
One doctor said the lack of facilities at the hospital sometimes delays assessment of patients’ ailments, adding that most doctors choose to treat people without waiting for pathology evidence.
“Most of the times doctors are just making diagnosis based on the patient’s information because the process of referring every case to other facilities is sometimes tedious,” said the doctor.
Sources said government bought two CT scans at $2 million in 2012 but only one was mounted at KCH while the other one is idle at the Ministry of Health’s Kanengo warehouse in Lilongwe. The idle machine was to be installed at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre.
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KOma mavuto alipo. Inefficiency, incompetence ndi zina zoduka mutu choncho
If the people vote this DPP government in again next year they have only themselves to blame if things continue to go backwards. The President and his cronies are clueless about moving the country forward. Of course they do not depend on Malawi’s health system; they just fly down to S Africa when they are unwell, but they could be caught out in an emergency. What does it take to wake up a nation to vote into government people who have its interest at heart?
This is shocking and sad. Zoona machine osawagwilitsa ntchito for a year and yet alot of people are dying with tumours because sanathe kupangidwa scan? Mukumanga ma stadium mmalo moti mupange train a few doctors and buy machine angapo for each region kuti anthu asamapange travel long distance after referral. I’m done with Dpp
ongo kalanga ine granny’s government
This is why ordinary Malawians think that the country is being run by a bunch of old crooks who are sleepwalking with no brains to drive the economy forward. They don’t even know whether they’re going or coming. Just recently we were told that there is K16.4 billion collected from the sale of MSB, which is lying idle with the RBM. We also had a free fall cash worth K4 billion which they decided that its manna from heaven for MP’s to pocket, disguised as local/constituency development projects funds. How much would it take to fix the CT Scan and… Read more »
Non-functional broken essential machines for more than ONE YEAR at one of the country’s main referral hospitals? Really? And this is just but one of the examples and a TIP OF THE HUGE ICEBERG of terrible poor social services in government sectors and public enterprises.
Yet we have an octogenarian minister of finance (and NOT a BABY) who has the audacity and luxury to squander K4 billion to EXPERIMENT on unplanned activities with MPs.
SHAME on MBAVA ma ZIGOGO!!!
Ndiye ndikumati Muthalika has transformed Malawi? Malawians please please please wake up!Pano ali ku London surrounded by all comforts that life can offer. Is he thinking of Malawi? Absolutely NOT! Get new blood to change things in Malawi. Chilima for president! At least give him a chance. And do not vote for recycled politicians either. Give it a try and you might be pleasantly surprised.