Malawi nurses hit back at Minister Mhango:  ‘If our demands are unrealistic come and work’

Dozens of health workers , who are on strike at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe to protest against working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic, including a “critical” shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to treat patients, have  reacted to remarks made by Minister of Health and Population, Jappie Mhango  that they are making unrealistic demands.

Mhango made the remarks this week in Lilongwe when he toured an isolation centre at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) as he was being briefed about the challenges managers are facing.

“Our economy is not resilient enough to accommodate hefty demands and my appeal to them is to always be reasonable in their demands,” said Mhango.

He said the essence of one being a doctor is to continue practicing and not collapsing the whole system because of the coronavirus.

But during the sit-in strike on Monday the nurses  carried their messages on placards.

“If our demands are unrealistic come and work,” reads one placard.

Another  placard had  slogan such : if you think we are unrealistic come and hear us out.”

Malawi has, so far, 17 confirmed cases of coronavirus, mostly from individuals who arrived in the country from abroad. Two deaths associated with COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, have been registered to date.