The Director of Health and Social Services at Balaka District Council, Dr Chimwemwe Thambo, has told Malawi24 that the district hospital is grappling with several challenges to provide quality healthcare delivery, owing to the devaluation of the Kwacha which has resulted in soaring market prices for most of the commodities.
This comes awake of revelations that the hospital is struggling to provide patients with adequate nutritious meals.
“We prepared our budgets before the devaluation of the Kwacha was effected. The situation has affected the ceilings that we had anticipated to be spending on food to feed our patients,” Thambo said.
While calling on the government to consider adjusting funding to the health sector, Thambo believes delving into joint farming ventures with other government agencies and departments like hospitals and prison services would be an ideal way to address the challenge of food shortages in public health facilities.
The Parliamentary Committee on Health on Wednesday toured the facility to appreciate how the hospital is fairing in terms of feeding patients.
In his remarks, the Chairperson of the committee, Dr. Matthews Ngwale expressed concern with the state of affairs in public hospitals as far as the provision of meals is concerned.
“We have discovered that here, patients are given porridge in the morning, and with luck, they are given lunch. There is nothing for supper and the amount of food that patients are given is not adequate,” Ngwale said.
However, he expressed satisfaction with the magnitude of infrastructural renovations taking place at the facility, arguing, that once refurbishments are done shortly, health service delivery will be enhanced.
