Mzuzu Central Hospital asking Money from Patients to access operation service
Patients accessing medical treatment at the Northern Region government hospital, Mzuzu Central claim the hospital staff are demanding money for them to access quick operation services at the hospital.
According to an investigation that was conducted shows some patients go up to four months without being assisted, while others are getting similar services after paying, patients’ claims.
A lady we shall call Juliet Nkhoma in this article 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 the operation claiming they don’t have material for my operation, surprisingly I see some people coming to get similar operations here, after asking one of the senior workers here 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 now without attention from the hospital.
“I came here in early March and what I am receiving here is some pills to minimize my pain, when asking them what is wrong to keep me waiting they only give me no tangible response, but some people who came after me are having their operation and go, Maybe because I don’t have anything to give to the doctors so that to be helped,” said Makwinja.
But speaking in an interview Hospital Public Relations Officer Arnold Kayira denied that the institution is demanding money from the patients to access services in time.
“It’s not true that the hospital is demanding payments from patients to access treatment at our hospital unless, through the private section,”
He further says the hospital has complaint management setups like Ombudsman and Anti-Corruption committees to handle such complaints,” said Kayira.
The matter arises when The Tonse Government and President Lazarus Chakwera are fighting to end corruption, especially in working Institutions like hospitals and other sectors.
