Malawi’s renowned musician, Patience Namadingo, has expressed frustration over his failed meeting with Mangochi District health officials. Namadingo had planned to discuss his initiative to rehabilitate ambulances at the Mangochi District Hospital.
On Sunday, Namadingo posted on Facebook, “All these ambulances are dead in Mangochi? I have decided to go find a way to fix all. The people of Mangochi and surrounding areas seriously need the ambulances running tomorrow I leave for Mangochi. I will fix them all.”
On Monday, he attempted to reach the Director of Health Services through a phone call starting at 11:00 AM, but to no avail. This prompted him to visit the facility, and he arrived at 2:00 PM, knowing it’s a public institution where some other top officials would likely be available.
However, his efforts to meet with key officials were met with disappointment. Inquiring about the Director’s whereabouts, the secretary’s response was, “Lero lonse sindinalankhuleko nawo kunonso sanabweleko nde sindikudziwa kuti alikuti,” which roughly translates to “I haven’t spoken to him today, and he hasn’t told me where he’s going or what he’s doing.”
The situation didn’t improve when Namadingo asked to meet with the hospital administrator, who was reportedly out for lunch at 2:40 PM. The secretary’s response to the extended lunch break was, “Mwina adzela kwina,” or “Maybe he has gone somewhere.” The District Medical Officer was also unavailable, having gone to Monkey Bay on official business.
Due to the unavailability of these key personnel, Namadingo and his team have decided to extend their stay in Mangochi and return to the hospital the following day to try and meet with the officials.
The incident has sparked debate among netizens, with some critics pointing to a broader issue, suggesting that the unavailability of key officials is symptomatic of a larger problem within the civil service, where attendance and punctuality seem lax.
However, others feel Namadingo should have followed formal protocols by booking an appointment with the hospital administrators.
