K57m health project lies idle as Vibangalala maternity wing falls into short time infrastructure

A K57 million maternity wing built to improve maternal health services and upgrade Vibangalala Health Post into a fully functional health centre in Mzimba has remained abandoned and unused for years.

As a result, expectant mothers continue to travel long distances to access delivery services.

The facility was expected to begin operations in 2022 under the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) programme. Instead, it has fallen into disrepair and is reportedly being used as a short time shelter.

When Malawi24 visited the site, we were welcomed by overgrown grass and a foul smell, raising serious concerns about hygiene and maintenance at a building meant to save lives.

Inside the structure were four mattresses, an oxygen concentrator, a drip stand, benches, an armchair, blood pressure machines, and an HB testing machine.

Although some medical equipment is present, the building remains unused because key supporting infrastructure is incomplete, while some construction work was poorly done.

Investigations found that the facility still lacks several basic requirements before it can begin operating as a maternity wing and health centre.

These include a guardian shelter for patients’ relatives, houses for nurses, pit latrines, electricity, and a proper drainage system.

Residents said the site floods during the rainy season because no proper drainage channels were constructed.

They also said the soakaway system was poorly built and has already collapsed, while the contractor allegedly abandoned the project without fixing the problems.

It has been established that the project stalled shortly after a controversial State of the Nation Address by kicked out president Lazarus Chakwera, in which many projects were cited as completed, including some that were either unfinished or non-existent.

Among them was the Vibangalala maternity wing, which was not ready for use.

For women in Vibangalala and nearby areas, the failure to complete the facility has caused serious hardship. One resident, Thokozire Jere, said many expectant mothers continue to suffer when labour begins.

“Many women here suffer greatly when it is time to give birth because this maternity wing is not operating. Most of them end up delivering at home because hospitals that provide maternity services are very far,” she said.

Residents say the delay has exposed women and newborn babies to unnecessary risks, especially during emergencies.

Although the maternity wing remains closed, Vibangalala still receives patients from surrounding communities such as Kalungulu, Etchiyeni, Kapopo, Mtuzuzu, and Mqocha.

People from Kalungulu, despite being closer to Mharaunda Health Centre, reportedly pass through Embangweni to seek treatment at Vibangalala.

Residents from Mqocha also travel through Kalikumbi and Mabiri Mission to access medical care at Vibangalala Dispensary.

The continued arrival of patients shows how important the facility is and why it urgently needs to be upgraded.

Sources say that in 2022, the government hired several workers in anticipation that the health post would be upgraded into a health centre once the maternity wing was completed.

However, four years after the expected opening date, Vibangalala remains a dispensary because the maternity unit has never opened.

Commenting on the matter, Director of Health, Social Services and Sanitation at M’mbelwa Council in Mzimba, Dr Prince Chirwa, said his office believes that the coming K5 billion Constituency Development Fund (CDF) could help complete the project.

“It is our belief that the Constituency Development Committee of Mzimba South will be committed to ensuring that health services receive support through the CDF. That will place the Vibangalala maternity wing as a priority in their plans so that construction is completed,” said Chirwa.

Chirwa added that the committee handling development proposals from different sectors within the constituency should ensure that approved health-related projects are given priority.

Health experts say that without maternity services and other essential infrastructure, the facility cannot officially be upgraded to health centre status.

Reports indicate that between early 2024 and early 2025, about K53 million to K57 million in GESD funds had been spent on the project.

The condition of the building is likely to raise fresh concerns over accountability, supervision, and value for money in public infrastructure projects.

Community members are now calling on authorities to urgently inspect the structure, repair all defects, complete the remaining work, and open the maternity wing to the public.

For the people of Vibangalala, the abandoned building stands not as a symbol of development, but as a painful reminder of promises that remain unfulfilled.