Mzuzu doctor living in fear after burglars strike home with children and elderly mother inside
A female doctor has spoken of her terror after her home was targeted by burglars in the dead of night — the latest in a string of chilling break-ins striking fear into medical professionals across Malawi.
Dr Maria Mang’anda, a Consultant Anaesthesiologist at Mzuzu Central Hospital, was inside her home in Lupaso, Mzuzu, when intruders broke in between midnight and 1am on Tuesday 21 July.
The terrified doctor was not alone at the time of the raid — she was with her elderly mother and her two young children when the criminals struck, stealing a haul of household items before vanishing into the night.
Dr Mang’anda in an interview monitored by Nyasa Times on Mibawa Television admitted she felt utterly powerless as the break-in unfolded around her family.
“When this happened, I was inside the house. I thank God for sparing our lives. I felt so helpless because I was with my elderly mother and my two young children. I don’t know whether this is a targeted attack against female medical doctors, but I am very worried and living in fear,” she said.
Her ordeal is the latest in a disturbing pattern of break-ins targeting medical professionals, sparking fresh fears that doctors — particularly women — may be being deliberately singled out.
The Medical Doctors Union of Malawi (MDUM) has now sounded the alarm over the growing crisis, warning that the string of attacks can no longer be brushed off as coincidence.
MDUM Northern Region Representative Dr Bright Siliya branded the wave of incidents “alarming,” insisting they cannot be dismissed as isolated cases.
He issued an urgent appeal to government and security agencies to take swift action to protect healthcare workers, warning that many doctors are now living in constant fear for their safety.
Luwinga Police, where the break-in has been formally reported, had not issued any comment on the incident by the time of publication.
The incident will pile further pressure on authorities already facing mounting criticism over their handling of a spate of similar incidents targeting medics across the country.
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I want to believe this was one of those house break-ins, not necessarily targeting female medical doctors. Not trying to downplay the issue, our security organs need to jack up security in the country. Otherwise no one is purposefully targeting female medical doctors