Malawi Govt to return beds to Mponela Hospital: Explains rationalisation policy
Ministry of Health has bowed down to pressure and accepted that they will return beds which were taken from Mponela Rural Hospital to Mzimba district.
The Parliamentary Women’s Caucus and opposition parties demanded government to return the beds to Mponela.
After Vice President Khumbo Kachali, who is also Minister of Health, visited the facility on Thursday, the ministry said it will return the beds.
Dr. Charles Mwansambo, Principal Secretary in the ministry of health, said in a media statement made available to Nyasa Times that the 13 beds from Dowa “will be returned by the weekend beginning of 21st September, 2012.”
Nyasa Times understands the beds will be returned on Friday morning.
Mwansambo said when Kachali inspected the facilities on Thursday, he noted “with concern that despite having beds, most of the beds have no mattresses.”
According to Mwansambo, the Ministry of Health will not only replace the beds, but provide mattresses to all beds at Mponela Rural Hospital including those in the male, female and Children’s wards.
“The Ministry of Health wishes to assure all Malawians that it will continue to strive to provide utmost adequate healthcare to all Malawians and that the rationalization process will continue based on assessment and consultations with communities and stakeholders around Health facilities,” said Mwansambo.
Rationalization of resources
In the statement, Mwansambo explained that the Ministry of is currently engaged in rationalization of resources in the Health sector that they should benefit all Malawians.
“This is the same in the case of Mponela Rural Hospital where 13 beds without mattresses were redeployed to other Health facilities in Mzimba District.”
He said the rationalization process has benefitted a number of Hospitals in the following manner:
- In 2011, Dowa District Hospital had no washing machine and an autoclave and the Ministry sourced them from Phalombe District Health Office.
- In the same year, Chintheche and Monkey Bay Rural Hospitals had a shortfall of beds and these were sourced from other Health facilities that had surplus.
- In February 2012, Chisoka and Malikula Health Centres in Thyolo and Mangochi respectively failed to open due to lack of equipment. The Ministry sourced them from Nkhotakota, Salima and Mchinji Districts Health Offices for the centre’s to open.
He said in the case of the Mponela Rural Hospital, the request to redeploy some beds from the Hospital to where they were needed was “a temporary measure as they had surplus beds without mattresses.”
Mwansambo said “the agreement was that they will be replaced.”
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