75 out of 900 health posts built in 4 years

Four years down the line, Malawi Government has built 75 of the 900 health posts it committed to construct by 2025, it has emerged.

Both President Lazarus Chakwera and Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda publicly made the commitment.

In his State of the Nation Address in 2021, the President said government was committed to ensuring that there was a health service in every five-kilometre radius by constructing 900 health posts and staff accommodation in hard-to-reach areas by 2022.

Kandodo Chiponda also made the commitment on several occasions, including in Parliament.

However, the target was later changed from 2022 to 2025.

The Nation has established that to date, 75 health posts have been constructed with four months to 2025.

Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe yesterday confirmed that only 75 health posts have been constructed and attributed the situation to financial challenges.

“It is our wish that we have as many health facilities as possible in line with our health sector strategic plan version three which advocates for universal access to health care.

“We need to make sure that people, everywhere,  have access to basic health care especially at primary health care level, which is at the community level, thus why government planned to construct as many health posts as possible. But funding has been the major challenge,” he said.

Chikumbe added that disasters that have been affecting the country have made it more difficult to have more resources allocated towards the health posts project.

Initially, government planned to start with 55 health posts in 2022 and the project was to cost K13 billion, with The Global Fund pumping in K4 billion while government was to inject K9 billion. However, government provided K1billion in the 2023/2024 National Budget.

Of the 55, only 20 health posts were constructed by March this year.

For this year, the ministry planned to construct 200 health posts. It requested K68 billion, but was allocated K2 billion.

Health Rights Education Programme executive director Maziko Matemba expressed sadness over the development, saying 75 is much lower considering time that has elapsed.

Malawi Health Equity Network executive director George Jobe said to expedite the 900 health posts, government should consider completing health facilities that stalled. He said there are some facilities that were started by government or partners but were not completed.

Parliamentary Committee on Health chairperson Mathews Ngwale emphasised that the 900 target is impossible to achieve by next year. He said the committee and MPs have been pushing for the health posts but there is no commitment.

He called on government to have a health financing to support construction of health posts.

Ngwale said there is need for health insurance for public servants and contributions could be used to support public health services.

There are about 5 000 areas which need health posts to ensure that people are accessing healthcare service within a radius of five kilometres, but government selected 900 most critical areas for a start.