Traditional Authority Mankhambira has blasted Nkhata Bay District Hospital officials for allegedly abusing ambulances and called for a stop to the malpractice.
The chief set the fire on when he was given chance to comment of the performance of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTC) of HIV and Aids in the district.
This was after Youth Net and Counselling (Yoneco) had presented a report during the Kalondolondo programme.
Mankhambira started by asking whether the programme can be successful when hospital officials are grabbing utilities that are specifically for patients.
“Ambulances are there to carry patients and the dead. But here, they are taking the DHO (district health officer) to lunch or hospital officials to workshops. How do you expect the community to be helped with such abuse?” asked a highly charged Mankhambira.
He called on the officials to respect what belongs to patients to improve.
The chief also slammed the style of scheduling dates for certain diseases such as toothaches or eye problems.
“You feel pain in the tooth or eye, but when you go to the hospital, you are told that there are specific dates for tooth or eye consultations. Should someone wait till that day?” he asked as his subjects cheered him on.
Mankhambira called on the hospital to immediately change the approach so that when one suffers from tooth or eye, he or she should be attended to immediately.
Nkhata Bay DHO Dr Thoko Kaluwa denied that officials are grabbing ambulances from patients for workshops.
Kalondolondo programme manager Jephter Mwanza then called for coordination and proper understanding between the community and the hospital.
