Medical Council disciplines 8 practitioners, hospitals

The Medical Council of Malawi has disciplined eight medical practitioners and four private hospitals for various disciplinary offences bordering on negligence in handling patients.

In a determination dated October 21, the council’s registrar and chief executive officer Dr Davie Zolowere said the practitioners include clinical officers, anaesthetics and an orthopedic surgeon.

Among those disciplined is obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Enerlin Maranan Istwin of Blantyre Adventist Hospital, She was found guilty of negligence and failure to manage a pregnant patient’s medical conditions appropriately and  has been suspended.

Elias Tilika has also been disciplined for unprofessional and disgraceful conduct after he conducted an open reduction internal fixation procedure beyond his scope of practice and received money for free services conducted, according to the determination.

He has been erased from the council’s register and criminal proceedings have also been recommended to refund the money to the patient.

The council further said it has recommended for prosecution for participating in a surgery when one is not a practitioner, resulting in harm.

Another anaesthetic nurse, Joseph Majawa, has been found guilty of unprofessional conduct through Tilika. He has been de-registered for one year.

On the other hand, the statement said anaesthesia clinical officer Geoffrey Mwalabu and Dr Kondwani Manda, an orthopaedic surgeon, have been given a warning for allegedly refusing to provide anaesthesia to a patient and non-adherence to referral protocol and failing to profile a patient adequately preoperatively, respectively.

The four privatefacilities under discipline are Blantyre Adventist Hospital, Mwaiwathu Private Hospital, Lilongwe Adventist Hospital and Our Lady of Mt Carmel-Kapiri Community Hospital.

Blantyre Adventist Hospital has been ordered to cover the investigation cost while Mwaiwathu Private Hospital has been fined for employing a practitioner without a private practice licence.

At Lilongwe Adventist Hospital, surgeries have been immediately suspended as it was found that they do not have appropriate and well-qualified anaesthesia staff for the level of surgeries they are providing. 

All the accused and four hospital officials were not immediately available for comment. 

But Zolowere justified the move yesterday, saying it is in line with the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act number 17 of 1987.

He said out of 13 cases heard, three had no guilty verdicts, eight had guilty verdicts, one was referred to the Nurses and Midwives Council while another one was referred to Industrial Relations Court.

Said Zolowere: “The penalties imposed depended on the gravity of the cases. Some practitioners have received warnings, fined, conduct continuous professional development training, suspended whilst some have been erased from the register.”

He said the council has this year concluded 31 disciplinary cases.

In a separate interview yesterday, Society of Medical Doctors of Malawi spokesperson Zaziwe Gundah urged all medical practitioners to always adhere to their professional conduct to avoid such incidents.

 “Our job is a difficult one and requires one to be extra careful as we deal with human life.

In 2021, the council received almost 60 complaints from patients, up from 40 the previous year.