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.

Queens hospital in Blantyre faces water crisis
Queens hospital in Blantyre faces water crisis

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.

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syamboza
syamboza
9 years ago

nkhani ya madotolo achinyengo ija inatha????? zikumvekaso kuti Chipatala china cha CHAM ku lowershire kuli kamberembere. akuti ntchito satha, ndiwaku Burundi,Rwanda,DRC amangosinthasintha akafunsidwa kwao. operation yake thawi zonse ndi ngozi ndipo a Malawi ambiri abvulala mpakan kufa kumene. Akuti a mapanga zachinyengo ndi officals a medical council of MAlawi mchifukwa chake a CHAM anamuposital kutali.

Dzina lake ndi Dr Augstine Ntabanga chipatala chake ndi St Montfort ku chikwawa. Amalawi ofufuza chonde mfufuzeni munthuyu pano akuti akufuna kuthawa poti nkhaniyi yabuka!

Mixxis
Mixxis
9 years ago

Ife takhala tikunena kuti nkhani ya Thawe tathana nayo. Mavuto amenewa bwenzi kulibe chipanda Thawe amene wakhala akuononga ndalama za Blantyre Water Board. Koma boma likumusekelera ma investigation mmene anyambira muja atha liti. It is crystal clear that this guy was stealing from BWB. We are hearing that the sympasizers or Thawe loyalists are the ones who are closing the valves in the water supply system to create an impression that Thawe was performing. Can government please deal with Thawe’s issue once and for all. We are tired of this bullshit. How good is he that you are still hanging… Read more »

peter charles machemba
peter charles machemba
9 years ago

bwb do your job faster as you can.

opportunist
opportunist
9 years ago

Kumavutika madzi eni eniwa oti mu Shire river alimo ambili omwe akuthera ku Indian ocean

WA MU TEA
WA MU TEA
9 years ago

Just refer the surgical patients to other hospitals like ZA central, Thyolo Hosp, Malamulo Hosp and other hospitals. Let not surgical patients suffer because of water.

Kabwiro
9 years ago

Let’s get Lilongwe Water Board management to run Blantyre Water Board. Or approach the General Manager who used to appear on MBC TV from Lilongwe Water Board to run the institution I hear his contract expired.

Chipo
Chipo
9 years ago

BWB chairman ndi Kapito? Bwanji sakuona mabvutowa? Buns wadyalo limutsamwa pompano. Mademo ake aja am’bwerera tsopano. Blantyre lets march tionetse kukwiya kwathu.

Boss
Boss
9 years ago

Kaya a Kapito akuti bwanji panopa poti chi banzi chili mu kamwa akulephera kuchitafuna chifukwa chachulukisa.Tiwona Mulungu alupo atimenyera nkhondo even mutatenga onse ma NGO’s koma Mulungu apanga njira paja amatha kusandusa miyala ndiye apa asandusa some of us kukhala a china Kapita ndi Voice Mhone enatu

Theodora
Theodora
9 years ago
Reply to  Boss

to some this might sound simple but think of the toilets, the labour ward, operating theatres to have no running water, its a nightmare. no wonder a yesterday a severely pressed patient resorted to pooh in a corrido and a white man had to remove the stuff because we are too smart to clean up our own mess. we can blame the BWB but this is a problem created long time ago, or I should say it is the way the government is run, no priorities, always reacting to things instead of being proactive. shameful! nyanja ya fresh water ili… Read more »

Uhudi
Uhudi
9 years ago

Who is chairing the Blantyre water board now? apa ndiye poyambira ntchito sopano.

pwettie
pwettie
9 years ago

Pathetic Malawi. We boast of plenty of fresh waters, actually, we have plenty waters from Nsanje to Chitipa. How can we be having situations like these as if we live in a desert? PATHETIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

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