Queens hospital suspends surgical operations:  Malawi water crisis

The ongoing shortage of water supply in Malawi has forced the country’s referral hospital Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) to suspend some of its operations.

Residents living in and around Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre have been experiencing serious water shortage for five months after the water supplier Blantyre Water Board (BWB) said it was doing some maintenance work at its main water pumping station.

Although the BWB authorities announced of water rationing as a mitigating measure residents feel this hasn’t helped and some areas go dry as long as two weeks.

Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital’s chief administrator Themba Mhango says the hospital has gone without water for the past consecutive two days a development he says has forced them to suspend some of its operations.

“This is really a problem to us. We are unable to carry out our normal duties as required. For example surgical operation was suspended on Wednesday in our  theater because of lack of water,” Mhango explained.

He says they are hoping that Blantyre Water Board will be supplying the hospital with water soon through browsers.

“Materials we use are still unwashed therefore medical personnel cannot conduct any operation,” he said.

However,  BWB Public Relations Officer, Priscilla Mateyu, had previously said residents should expect normal supply of water from January next year when the maintenance work at the Walkers Ferry is expected to come to an end.

Human rights campaigners  say  water shortages in the city have far-reaching implications on the health of residents and patients in hospitals.

They argue that patients need water, especially for personal hygiene, feaing the  water shortages will create a health crisis.

Blantyre Water Board  has been urged to prioritise water supply to hospitals and to carry out orientation programmes on the proper utilisation of water in hospitals, homes and public places to ease the pressure on the overstretched water distribution network.