MPs told to monitor councils on health expenditure

Members of Parliament (MPs) have been told to monitor their district councils on how they are spending every coin allocated to various district hospitals across the country.

This was said by Malawi’s Health Minister Dr Peter Kumpalume when responding to Dowa East MP Richard Chimwendo Banda’s concern that sometimes various district hospitals including Dowa face challenges, particularly in using ambulances due to insufficient funds for buying fuel.

Responding to the concern, Kumpalume said MPs have a responsibility of making sure that such issues are solved by monitoring how money is being spent by district councils in their various districts.

“The money for the health office is what we call the sacred offering. Made for the health sector, but you know what happens in district councils, when the money is from the treasury it is put together this is money for Dedza, for example.,” Kumpalume said.

“But in terms of actual consumption for those moneys, the District Health Officer (DHO) would know exactly what is meant for fuel, what is meant for food and what is meant for all the other items.”

He added that what his ministry finds when it comes to fuel for ambulances is that there is more consumption on utility vehicles than for ambulances.

“From headquarters this is not the way it should be, it should be more consumption on ambulances than utility vehicles,” Kumpalume said.

He then urged the MPs to monitor how the money is being spent to make sure that every coin is serving Malawians.

Kumpalume also encouraged the lawmakers to work with councils and be in charge of how things are run in health facilities.