Patients paying for public hospital services: Scam At Nsanje DHO
The health services which are supposed to be provided for free to Malawians in government’s public health facilities are said to be paid for as some medical personnel at Nsanje District Health Office are allegedly demanding cash from patients.
The development has brought fear to the people who are needy and cannot afford to pay for the services which the government of Malawi provides them for free.
Worse still, while government of Malawi is promoting safe motherhood, most of the women going to the health facility for Ultra Sound Scanning (USS) to determine the exact gestation age of the fetus are asked to pay for the service.
A woman aged 26, who went to the health facility for USS on Tuesday January 5, was asked to cough K5, 000 for the service.
“I went there for pregnancy test so that I can know the age of the pregnancy for timely antenatal care. However, to my surprise, I was told to pay K5,000 to access the service which has been for free all these years,” she explained.
The woman claimed to have returned home without accessing the service at the hospital as she had no money to pay.
“I feel sorry for myself as I failed to access the service because I had no money but also looking at the policy of government in safe motherhood promotion. The services which are meant for free some medics who are not right minded are demanding money from poor people like us. This is another cash-gate at Nsanje district hospital,” said the woman.
Another woman whose 2 year child got an arm fracture went to the facility to access medical attention claimed to have paid K2,000 for Plaster of Paris (POP).
“My son got a fracture and when we went to the hospital for treatment, the Orthopaedic department clinicians demanded K2,000 for the treatment. I had no option but to pay for the service and received no general receipt,” she revealed.
The alleged fraud is also spreading to other rural health facilities in the district such as Ndamera where patients are said to have been going back home without accessing the services as they had no money to pay for it.
For instance, a married woman who went to Ndamera health facility to access medical services failed to do so after the medics demanded the payment of K2, 000 for the service.
“My wife had symptoms of malaria and she went to access treatment, however she was denied as she had no money to pay. The medics demanded K2, 000 for her to get treatment,” said her husband.
Meanwhile the community, Area Development Committee (ADC) and Health Advisory Committee (HAC) of the Ndamera Health Centre has written the District Health Officer to transfer all the medics at the facility.
According to the Ndamera Area Development Committee Chairperson who happens also to be a member of Health Advisory Committee Samuel Kasakatira, are not happy with the way the health facility is being run.
He said the health facility has turned into a private one as only people who have money can access the services.
“Therefore, we resorted to write the District Health Officer and copied the same to the District Commissioner so that they can bring new staff. The lives of poor people are at risk as they have nowhere to access the treatment for free,” said Kasakatira.
The Nsanje District Health Officer Dr. Alexander Chijuwa neither denied nor acknowledged the allegations.
Dr. Chijuwa said he cannot rule the assertions saying sometimes patients themselves initiate the practice so they get special treatment.
“Sometimes the health workers also initiate the practice. However, the bottom line is that the services ought to be provided to people are for free. Let me ask the concerned people that they should be following the right procedures for channeling their complaints for action, for instance; going through Ombudsman or contacting my office,” advised Dr. Chijuwa.
On the letter from the Ndamera local leaders to the DHO, Dr. Chijuwa acknowledged the receipt however said transferring the medics from the health centre is not a solution.
“My office is arranging round table discussions with the concerned parties to iron out differences. To transfer the staff from the health facility will set a bad precedence,” said the Nsanje DHO.–Mana
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Ma DHO amaba, ndiye ma staff onse amatsatira zomwezo. Rotten society
I blame the government for this….Civil servants are not being treated in the right way…locum munathetsa nde madolo atani mzipatalamu??this kind of practice is everywhere in all government hospitals though,its not only nsanje!
While we should expect to get these services for free as expected we should also be mindful of the changing times. Civil servants are not acting as “servants” as it used to be.
Sad.
Dr Nyasosela should be probed also he is charging us consultation fees right within the confines of KCH, mankhwala meant for free we are paying a lot of kwachas is this allowed?
Kumpalume should also warn himself against being involved in corrupt practices with the Jew.
Govt introduced paying system in all public hospitals for those who can pay. However, free services are still available for those who cannot afford to pay. I was on a qeue at a hospital this morning with my sister. A nurse came up and called “those with money can come in for service”. As we did not have money, we were kept waiting on the bench for five hours when another nurse popped up yelling “those without money can now enter”. As soon as we got in, it was time for the doctor to knock off. So we’ll try again… Read more »
Can the authority also Investigate Bwaila Hospital. Pregnant women who go to deliver at Bwaila are asked to pay the attendants money if they want to be assisted or else they will go home with a dead baby. Is this what nurses are taught at their Colleges or it’s just out of greed and harsh treatment. Remember the women who patronize the District Hospitals are the under priviledged who could not afford to attend a paying (private) hospitalso why should they pay at the public hospital for the free services. Please please investigate and act now else the self motherhood… Read more »
It is very unfortunate and inhuman to demand payment for a service which was designed to be for free. Why do we pay taxes? To pay you as a medical personnel who is on govt payroll and procurement of medicine to cure us. Foolish Clinicians ntchito zolowa without being interviewed kuvuta kwabasi ofunika PPC ilowe ku health sector for things to workout.