SDA Church demands health job interview dates be moved over clash with sacred days
Seventh-day Adventists say the November 20-22 walk-in interviews leave candidates choosing between faith and a job, as ministry promises 5,000 posts by March
The Eastern Malawi Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church has demanded that the Ministry of Health and Sanitation move the dates of walk-in interviews for healthworkers, claiming they force devout candidates to choose between their faith and a job.
The ministry has scheduled the interviews for November 20 to 22 across the country’s four regions.
But in a statement on Tuesday signed by the group’s public affairs and religious liberty director Sanned Lubani, the church said the dates clash with sacred days of worship observed by several faiths.
He said the timing affects Muslims, who observe Friday as a day of congregational worship, Christians who keep Saturday as the Sabbath, and those whose main day of worship is Sunday.
“We are advocating for an even playing field where every qualified Malawian can compete for employment without being forced to surrender a fundamental aspect of their religious identity,” the statement reads.
The church said the Constitution provides a clear framework for protecting religious freedom, equality and human dignity.
Ministry of Health and Sanitation spokesperson Benedicto Mbewe did not comment.
In a statement on Thursday, Ministry of Health Principal Secretary Dan Namarika announced that the interviews would be held in all four regions.
Speaking to the Malawi News Agency on Monday, Namarika said the ministry plans to recruit more than 5,000 health workers by March 31, 2027, to fill gaps in the health sector and reward long-serving staff.
The posts include medical officers, clinical officers, laboratory technologists, nursing officers, pharmacy technicians, medical assistants and community midwife assistants.
The church’s Eastern Conference covers Chiradzulu, Zomba, Balaka, Machinga, Mangochi and part of Blantyre.
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