Clinicians accused of selling drugs to patients

A local youth organization in Ntchisi has revealed that clinicians at Ntchisi district hospital order them to pay for hospital drugs.

According to the organisation, if patients fail or refuse to pay, the hospital workers tell them that there are no drugs and they should buy the medicine at pharmacies.

The organisation, District Youth Network (NDYN) made the revelations during an interface meeting the group had with the District’s Executive Committee (DEC) organized by Timveni Media.

Chairperson for Ntchisi DYN, Rodwell Ketala, said most youths in the district are asked to pay for medicine prescribed by clinicians at the district hospital.

“My wife was asked to pay K5, 000 when she went to get help. She was told that the drugs can be found at Mponela, but they just went out and brought the medicine,” said Ketala.

The chairperson said he had received a lot of complaints from the youths in the district on how poorly they are handled at the hospital.

“We don’t have youth friendly services at the hospital. And most of our youths, despite the massive campaign on circumcision, they are sent back when they go for the service. We need an explanation on this from the district health office,” he said.

Ntchisi District Health Office representative at the meeting, a clinician, Laurent Banda, said if there were clinicians involved in selling drugs they were doing that on their own because it is against their ethics and it is a crime.

He said the victims of such malpractices should take their concerns to the hospital administration office.

“The problem is that people do not report such issues to relevant authorities. We have notices all over the hospital walls telling people to report any of such issues to the authorities, but nobody comes forward instead they pay when asked the money,” said Banda.

An official from Timveni Media, Ernest Makanda, said the organisation conducted the interface meeting to give room for the youths to express the issues that affect them.