Numerous patients at Mzuzu Central Hospital have leveled grave accusations against the medical staff of running a sophisticated bribery scheme.
Several patients and guardians have told Malawi24 that doctors and administrators at the hospital are coercing patients into paying under-the-table fees to receive necessary medical services.
Some patients go up to four months without being assisted, while others are getting similar services after paying money to the hospital staff.
Juliet Nkhoma (not her real name) claims she has failed to get re-operated since January this year after an unsuccessful operation in October 2023.
“I came to deliver my second-born child in October, and the doctor advised me to go scissor operation which I and my husband accepted, two months after the operation I felt unwell and we visited the hospital for a check-up where after scanning, they told me that there is a problem which will need another operation.”
“Since January, I have not been operated on as the hospital staff keeps on changing dates for my operation by claiming that they don’t have materials for the operation. Surprisingly, I see some people coming to get similar operations here and after asking one of the senior workers, we were told that we cannot be assisted in time if we don’t have money to bribe doctors,” said Nkhoma.
In a separate interview, Nelson Makwinja, who is expected to be operated on after he was scanned with a tumor in his stomach said he is now close to a month without getting an attention from the hospital.
“I came here in early March and what I am receiving here is some pills to minimize my pain, when I asked them why they kept me waiting for long, no tangible response was given but I was surprised to see others coming after me, getting treated. this is happening because I don’t have money to give the Doctors,” wondered Makwinja.
But commenting on the issue, the Public Relations Officer for the hospital, Arnold Kayira, denied the allegations, saying patients access services for free and on time.
“It’s not true that the hospital is demanding money from patients to access treatment at our hospital unless through the private section,” he said.
He further clarified that the hospital has complaint management setups like Ombudsman and Anti-Corruption committees to handle such issues.
