Kamuzu Central Hospital suspends laboratory services: ‘Go to private clinics’
Malawi’s major central hospital, Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe has suspended its laboratory services just weeks after it closed down its x-ray operations, a sign that health services in this impoverished nation are collapsing.
A memo seen by Nyasa Times from Hospital director Jonathan Nkhoma to members of staff says all patients seeking lab services should be directed to private hospitals.
Nkhoma says the lab services will resume after the lab equipment has been maintained but has not indicated when.
Some patients found at the hospital expressed surprise and asked the government to intervene the soonest.
“We can’t afford services at private hospitals, it is expensive,” said a lady who looked confused after a clinician turned her away.
The x ray department has also closed down due to an equipment break down reducing KCH to a mere health centre.
The situation in other hospitals is not good either as the government funding to ministries, including that of health, is erratic and in most cases their budgets are cut massively following donor money freeze due to theft and mismanagement forcing the health sector to literally collapse.
There are also reports of acute shortages of medicine in some public health facilities with patients being turned away or told to buy the drugs even basic painkillers like panado.
In his state of the nation address on Friday in parliament, President Peter Mutharika doubted if donors will ever rerurn, urging Malawians to persevere in the harsh economic times.
Funso? Kodi a Malawi tizingoyang’ana zimenezizooo!
Sue the government!!!!!!!
Agalu inu, mufuna anthu azipita kwa asing’anga ndi azamba. Boma lakukanikani. The healthcare system has collapsed. Come 2019, most of the potential voters will have died from curable diseases!
Ithink this Goverment of APM mmmmmmm
Xray machine broken, no X ray films as well, no medicines or surgical items, KCH blame Central medical stores please, whoever is in charge have mercy for the patients they are forced to come there as there are no aletrnatives. Donors have left us they lost faith in Humanity and forget there moral obligations, why punish 16 million malawians for mistakes for cashgaters, Malawi govt needs to address these shortages NOW, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
WE ARE A DEAD NATION WITH DEAD LEADERS AND DEAD FOLLOWERS. WHY CAN’T WE DO WHAT STUDENTS DID IN SOUTH AFRICA LAST WEEK BY TAKING THE GOVERNMENT TO TASK UNTIL THINGS CHANGE FOR THE BETTER?
Zavuta kumpanda apa ndiye zero pa ten sureeeeee!
munya muona simudati a Malawi kupusa too much, kuvotera munthu chifukwa chakuipidwa mtima instead of giving it a deep thought and choose the right one, kaya zanu izo mukukuta mapwala simudati , ine ndili phe mu office ya ma air con uku secretary wanga akundisewretsa mapwala kunja kuno!
The Director of KCH kukonda kufusira kwambiri akazi including azimayi okolopa and some Nurses. He will have his own sex lab in his office.
let them take our money. God will see what to do with them.