Malawi evangelical churches resist Kamuzu Central Hospital policy on prayers

Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) has reacted angrily to a new prayer policy at Kamuzu Central Hospital which now confines prayer time for patients on weekends and public holidays.

EAM secretary general Francis Mkandawire said prayers cannot be limited to specific time, saying patients need prayers constantly.

“What the hospital can do is to issue guidelines so that everyone wishing to conduct prayers in wards should abide by the guidelines instead of total banning of prayers during week days,” he said.

Mkandawire said his association would engage in dialogue with officials from the Kamuzu Central Hospital.

He said the hospital should have a code of conduct guiding how prayers can be conducted and those who violate it can be disciplined.

The new policy allows people and organisations to conduct the prayers from the hospital after obtaining written consent from management.

Hospital publicist Mable Nkhata said the policy is aimed at instilling discipline at the chaotic way of offering prayers to patients which she said disturbed administration of drugs to patients and disturbed serious and recupurating patients.

“We want order in the wards so that doctors and nurses can do their job peacefully and patients can have peace time,” she said.

Most times those offering prayers sing and preach on top of their voices disturbing the peace of patients. Interestingly, prayers are done in public hospitals only.