Ministry shocked by Reports of Misconduct of Health Workers at Karonga Hospital
The Ministry of Health say is shocked by reports circulating in various social media platforms alleging that there is an in-house cartel of health workers operating at Karonga district hospital who divert medical supplies there by affecting quality of health delivery in the district.
This follows a Social Media that published a report on Facebook that alleged poor delivery of health services and that Karonga Hospital went to the extent of demanding more in order for the patient to be referred to Mzuzu Central Hospital.
In a press statement that the Government say they have engaged relevant stake holders such as MEHN and MHRC to descend and probe into allegations that threatened the very core of healthcare integrity in the lakeshore district of Karonga.
The statement further said, “the reports insinuate that there is a cartel of health workers operating at Karonga District Hospital who divert patients and health commodities to their private and pharmacies among other allegations,” reads part of statement.
Investigations by reporters reveals that all referred patients to Mzuzu central hospital buys their own fuel for an ambulance to ferry a patient to the referral Central hospital in the north.
As this is not enough when that referred patient dies the relatives of the deceased are supposed to buy fuel to carry the remains of their beloved back to karonga, which is not the case of Mzimba and Chitipa hospitals.
“My child was beaten by a snake and the hospital refered us to Mzuzu Central Hospital but they gave us a condition that we have to fuel the ambulance inorder to get the required assistance,”
The woman continued to say that the situation got even worse after having admitted for weeks at Mzuzu Central Hospital because they had no penny to fuel it back despite the ambulance being available in Mzuzu.
“The Karonga District Hospital vehicle was here after it came with another patient and we tried to negotiate with the driver but he insisted that the woman should look for fuel or not he will only take patient who paid two way fuel only,” said one of the workers at Mzuzu Central Hospital.
