Tension is rising in Mhalaunda, Mzimba District, following reports that the management of Embangweni Mission Hospital recently held a meeting with officers from Embangweni Police ahead of a planned demonstration by the Mhalaunda Citizens Forum.
The forum has vowed to close Mhalaunda Health Centre on July 13, 2026, following the expiry of a 90-day ultimatum it gave Embangweni Mission Hospital.
The group is demanding that the hospital hand over the facility to the Malawi Government so that residents can access free public healthcare services.
According to a source who claimed to have attended the meeting, the discussions were held on Wednesday at Embangweni Mission Hospital and involved officers from Embangweni Police Station.
“I can confirm that Embangweni Mission Hospital plans to use the police to stop people from closing Mhalaunda Health Centre. I attended the meeting, and there are also plans to arrest some leaders of the Mhalaunda Citizens Forum,” the source alleged.
Efforts to obtain comments from Embangweni Mission Hospital and Embangweni Police were unsuccessful by the time this article was published. The dispute centres on the ownership and management of Mhalaunda Health Centre.
Residents say the facility was built by the Mhalaunda community with support from World Vision and is currently managed by Embangweni Mission Hospital under the Livingstonia Synod of the CCAP.
Although under-five children’s services and maternity care are provided free of charge, patients are required to pay for most other medical services.
Community members claim and Malawi24 independently verified through an undercover visit by a reporter posing as a patient that consultation fees range from K2,500 to K5,000, while treatment for illnesses such as malaria, including medication, can cost up to K25,000.
They argue that these charges make healthcare unaffordable for many families.The Mhalaunda Citizens Forum maintains that the health centre should be handed over to the Malawi Government so that all residents can access free public healthcare services.
In a previously meeting held at M’mbelwa district council chamber Livingstonia Synod General Secretary William Tembo and the M’Mbelwa District Council reportedly acknowledged that Mhalaunda Health Centre belongs to the people of Mhalaunda and not to the Synod or Embangweni Mission Hospital.
Despite the reported plans to stop the taking over of the hospital leaders of the Mhalaunda Citizens Forum say they remain committed to pursuing what they describe as the community’s legitimate demand for accessible, affordable, and free public healthcare.
Malawi24 is following the matter, as the July 13 deadline approaches.
