President speaks tough on drug theft in Malawi hospitals: Launches forestry week

President Arthur Peter Mutharika has warned all those stealing government drugs and sell to private markets that his government will mete out the harshest measures so as to ensure that ordinary people benefit fully from government services.

Mutharika signing the visitors book
Mutharika signing the visitors book
Mutharika planting his tree
Mutharika planting his tree
President Mutharika watering the tree he had planted
President Mutharika watering the tree he had planted

He was speaking at Masasa Primary School ground in Ntcheu where he presided over this year’s official launch of the National Forestry Week.

The Malawi leader justifiably diverted from the theme of the day following a request from Traditional Authority Masasa who had earlier asked for construction of health facilities in his area.

“What kind of people are you to be stealing drugs and selling them as far as South Africa, Tanzania and DRC among other places? Why do you harm your country in the name of mere money? We will dismiss you from work unlike in the past when you were just being transferred to another health unit. You will be sorry when we catch you,” said the visibly worried President Mutharika.

Only last month, a local paper reported that drugs worth K5 billion are stolen every year from government health facilities, a development that has affected health service delivery across the country.

Back to the theme of the day, President Mutharika called upon all Malawians to plant enough trees during this year’s national forestry week to kick-start a turn-around in nature conservation which will help the country mitigate or eradicate the effects of climate change.

This year’s tree planting season, whose theme is “Arrest deforestation, Plant trees and Conserve forests”, is expected to have 60 million trees planted across the country.

As a way of encouraging people to plant more trees, President Mutharika has ordered that Public Works Program should include tree planting so that communities earn money for planting trees.

In his remarks Natural Resources, Energy & Mining minister, Bright Msaka, asked every Malawian to plant at least 12 trees during this season.

This year’s tree planting season will officially run from January 18 to April 15.

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Palikanthu
Palikanthu
8 years ago

Time for rhetoric is over the president at ist cabinet should act and uproot drug pilferage, read Prof Chijere Chirwa’s Report and act. CMS Trust headed by a known corrupt CEO should be busted. Hit the snake on the head we are tired of Hearing your firey words which have no fire into them. ACT NOW or Shut up. Incompetence marks your reign to date no doubt about it

kawalala
kawalala
8 years ago

There is so much thefty of drugs in our hospitals.This happens in two main streams; (1)at the Central Medical Stores Trust, this usually happens during receiving and sending/ordering drugs (2)At the pharmacies in respective hospitals,this happens during the so called drug distribution and redistribution and also during ordering to hospital wards. unfortunately, people are so crafty so much so that they have succeeded to extinct the audit function in the districts. If he is there,then they would ensure he doesn’t perform his jobs by sidelining him in all protocols. You would want to count some antibiotics in the carton at… Read more »

Mwanangwa
Mwanangwa
8 years ago

You have talked enough and you fail to BITE

Swam banzi
Swam banzi
8 years ago

We will not stop stealing until you fix the economy Bwana how do you think we make ends meet????

No name brand
No name brand
8 years ago

No one has ever been punished harshly that is people are stealing drugs. Give stealing drugs a death penalty people will stop what they are doing

2016 welcome
2016 welcome
8 years ago

Talk talk talk and talk. When are you going to act when everyone sees that there is theft of public medicine

Morris
Morris
8 years ago

Kwacha tattoos kugwa daily,nthawi za bingu Kwacha anali Muhamba nsopano a pity my madzi

Mwikhala
Mwikhala
8 years ago

Wina anagwidwa kuno ku phalombe kwa nazombe koma amucita transfer kupita kuchitekesa. Wakhala mwezi watunthu alimu cell ya police paboma laphalombe koma pano tili odabwa kuti akugwurabe ntchito.

Gugulety
Gugulety
8 years ago

Nanga kuvala ngati mukupita ku board room bwanji? Mulibe casual wear yogwirizana ndi kudzala mitengo? Nonse ndi wachiwiri wanu…kaguleni ku kaunjika ma khaki trousers, chipewa cha mlaza pa corner paja ku Liwonde zilipo. Zinazi tazipangani ngati anthu a normal chonde-be part of the society!!!

2016 cracker
8 years ago

Talk is cheap Mr President! How are you going to arrest the medical drug thieves? The fish is wrotten frm the head

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