Communities in Mhalaunda, Mzimba District, have accused some officials at M’mbelwa District Council of deliberately delaying the deployment of government health workers to Mhalaunda Health Centre, a facility they say was constructed by local residents to provide free public healthcare services.
The allegations come amid an ongoing dispute over the future management of the health centre, which was previously operated by Embangweni Mission Hospital under the CCAP Livingstonia Synod.
The Synod is reportedly seeking to regain control of the facility and continue operating it as a private institution.
Residents claim that despite formally requesting the council to deploy government health workers, no action has been taken more than two months after the request was submitted through the Mhalaunda Citizens Forum.
According to community members, the prolonged delay has fuelled suspicions that some officials within M’mbelwa District Council are working to facilitate the return of Embangweni Mission Hospital instead of supporting the government’s takeover of the facility.
Malawi24 understands that one official from M’mbelwa District Council, who is also a member of the CCAP Church, is allegedly assisting the Livingstonia Synod and Embangweni Mission Hospital in their efforts to regain control of Mhalaunda Health Centre.
However, repeated attempts to obtain comments from officials at Embangweni Mission Hospital and the Livingstonia Synod were unsuccessful, as they did not respond to our phone calls.
Residents insist that the health centre was constructed through community efforts with the expectation that it would provide free government healthcare services rather than operate as a private institution.
Speaking to Malawi24, Lincy Tembo of Phazima Village under Traditional Authority Kambulu said the community does not want Embangweni Mission Hospital to resume managing the facility.
“We did not construct this health facility for someone or any institution to come and make money from it. It is enough that Embangweni has been taking our money. What we want now are government health workers so that people can access free healthcare services. We are also paying tax. I am wondering why Embangweni Mission Hospital and the Livingstonia Synod still want our structure. If they want a health facility, they should build their own. What they are doing is trying to rob us of our property,” said Tembo.
The communities have further accused some council officials of applying double standards by failing to act on their request while allegedly supporting efforts for the mission hospital to regain control of the facility.
They have therefore called on M’mbelwa District Council to immediately deploy government health workers through the Mzimba South District Health Office and allow the facility to begin operating as a government health centre.
The dispute over Mhalaunda Health Centre has persisted for several months, with local communities consistently demanding that the facility be placed under government management to improve access to free healthcare services for people in the surrounding villages.
Efforts to obtain comments from officials at M’mbelwa District Council and the Mzimba South District Health Office were unsuccessful by the time this article was published.
