Malawi to privatise hospitals, mortuaries

Malawi government has set up plans to privatise some service in public hospitals in improve healthcare as part of public reforms aimed at improving efficiency and quality services, President Peter Mutharika has said.

President Peter Mutharika: Privitise healthcare
President Peter Mutharika: Privitise healthcare

Mutharika speaking in an interview on BBC’s flagship interview program, HardTalk, said his government will soon start putting public hospitals into private hands.

Mutharika told BBC’s Zeinab Badawi in the interview that the plans are meant to address the current drug shortages which he said started with donors’ decision to withdraw aid from Malawi following cashgate corruption scandal.

“We have no medicines in hospitals. We are trying to bring private sector into hospital management and we hope it will work” Mutharika told BBC.

His government already announced plans to privatise mortuaries in a bid to improve efficiency and quality services towards handling of corpses in all public hospitals due to series of shocking incidents of decomposition.

There has been series of shocking incidents of faults mortuaries which leads to decomposition of corpses .

Government set up a task force to look into the feasibility plan on how it will work considering that most mortuaries are out-dated and do not tick to the current health standards of handling corpses.

The proposal to have mortuaries privatised excited health expert saying public hospitals will be able concentrating their core mandate to save lives than the dead.

Martha Kwataine, Malawi Health Equity Network (Mhen)’s Executive Director expressed optimism of the development that would bear fruits of saving lives than dead bodies while cautioning on government towards the poor’s ability to access such services without payment.

“Mortuary management is a supplementary service as generally hospitals are mandated to save lives not dead bodies. Relatives are responsible for corpses. The problems with Malawians, we respect a lot dead bodies than patients or the sick.

“Other countries are already doing this. Our mortuaries have been deteriorated because of lack of ownership such that if it’s run by someone else, they will manage them well. However, government must make sure that poor, who die in accessing services especially in referral hospitals who also don’t have relatives to pay such charges are considered”, urges Kwataine.

Currently, relatives pay MK2, 500 for embalming, MK1, 000 for washing and dressing and MK1, 000 per night for storage of departed loved ones at some private mortuaries.

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bingu
bingu
8 years ago

Agalu ose amene anavotera pita 40 pano aona

Kwaweni bolosa
Kwaweni bolosa
8 years ago

This man is a disgrace an kungofuna u president chifukwa mchimwene wake amakhala president nonsense.
Are you sure Peter of what you are saying or you are joking?
This country has failed you as a result people will stop paying taxes if you are going to predictive hospitals.
The money we could have paid taxes we will be using them to hospitals agree?
Otherwise dziko lakulakani bwana inu sa malawi mabvuto athu simukuwadziwa. Chitsiru ndi chomwe chidakuvoterani mulungu achitembelere.
Inunso mufe ngati achimwene anu.
Mwatikwana.

rich lilongwe
rich lilongwe
8 years ago

masiku omaliza ano

cj
cj
8 years ago

akanati tikugulitsa escom palibe akanadaula coz anthu amenewa amonjeza koma akamagulitsa zipatalazo akulitsenso ndi mra yomwe coz they will be no point paying tax ndalama za msonkho tizikalipila ku chipatala coz hospital bill are way too expensive

cj
cj
8 years ago

mr president are you trying to say amene anakumangilani zipatala zonsezi ndiopepela kuti inu mungobwela ndikugulitsa? Apatu mwaonetsa kuchepa kwa nzeru zanu, ndipo ngati amalawi linali tsoka pokuvotelani mulungu atikhululukile

Joseph Moyo
8 years ago

timacha ngat uchite pvtise ife watitopesa ndpo president doesnt need jet koma school leaver who are not employed must b give loan to do business of their choice pot ntchito simukuwalemba kupanda kutero2019 tizavotera tonse kape wina osat iwe ai

Joseph Moyo
8 years ago

a Malawi timadula msonkho kut azigulira mankhwala mzipatala kulipiranso ogwira ntchito ndyeno akachita privatise zipatala tizidulanso nsonkhobe?What for muganize mmene akuzunzra mmisewumu traffic kut chedwesa tikupta kukawagwirira ntchito kut atidule malipiro awo.zimandiwawa.ndpo sindkuona phindu lodulidwa msonkho komanso APM chyambireni palibe akupanga chokomera wanthu he is another diktator mmene wathesera jc ,pano zipatala koma pomaliza5yrs awononga zonse.university ed is for the rich .monga kuthesa kwa jc saziwa kut kwaononga business ya ma pvt school?Plichifukwa chanji chotumizira mwana ku school yodula chonsecho sazalemba mayeso?Azasyana chani wa jc wa cdss ndi kaphuka?Mopempha tulani panso iz sizomwe timafuna ai chonde musationongere zikoli tilibe kolowela… Read more »

Ghadhaffi
8 years ago

Mukunamizir kutukula ntcto zaumoyo kuli kulepher kwa boma lanu. Ngat mankhwala akusowa mzipatala inu ntcto yanu ncyan? Kod solution yothetser mavuto ndiyo kugulitsa zipatala? Conde che pulezidenti perekani uta ndi mpaliro kwa odziwa kuponya inu muthawitsa mbawala. Taonaninso padzana paja munavala suti,taye nga! pakhosi nkukwer mumtengo wa mango nkumadya mango tinakudzudzulaninso kt sizikukukhalani,bwanj simumva kuzudzulidwa? Bazilekani izi sizikukukhalani. Kod inu munaphunzir za ulimi wa agalu ncfkw cyan mukuloweler ku ulimi wa nsomba? Citani manyaz ndpo umunthu ukulamuleni.

josiah
josiah
8 years ago

Asilikali atenge Boma. Pitala walephela. madala zakuvuta, thula pasi undinfo galu iwe. ukagulisa zipatala ngati iwe unamangapo chako Chipatala. kagulise Ndatha farm ya ubuthi wako.

Gwatyamaru.
Gwatyamaru.
8 years ago

Mabwiya,elhapo moilephera wetiha.Mukhulhe mahiya wene.Zonapwa zyenzyo unapangewenzyo.Oroweke owaninya u Amereka.

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