Minister of Health Madalitso Baloyi on Sunday ordered health workers to stop conducting group consultations with patients after discovering the practice during a secret visit to Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe. She said the system violates patients’ rights and compromises confidentiality.
The minister made the directive after she secretly visited the hospital in Lilongwe and posed as a patient using a false name to assess how services are delivered at the facility.
During the visit, Baloyi said she was asked to enter a consultation room together with seven other women to meet medical personnel.
She said the arrangement forces patients to discuss their medical conditions in front of others, a situation that may discourage them from freely explaining their health problems.
According to the minister, such practices undermine patients’ right to privacy and dignity when seeking medical care.
Baloyi has since directed health workers in public facilities to stop the practice and ensure that patients are attended to individually.
Commenting on the development, Wilson Ching’ani said the minister’s initiative could help improve how patients are treated in health facilities.
However, he said long waiting hours at hospitals are mainly caused by the large number of patients compared to the limited number of health workers.
Meanwhile, George Jobe has welcomed the minister’s move.
Jobe said such initiatives can strengthen accountability and help improve service delivery in public health facilities.
