Theft, corruption stalling projects—Chakwera
President Lazarus Chakwera says theft and corruption are stalling public infrastructure projects and forcing the government to spend more resources on a project.
Speaking yesterday when he opened the long-awaited K30 billion 250-bed Phalombe District Hospital, he expressed disappointment that government continues to lose resources through the malpractice.
“Most projects are being done in bits and pieces as those responsible for such projects claim to have exhausted the allocated funds even before the completion of the first phase. We need to repent for everything that we have been doing in the wrong and start on a clean slate. Every Malawian should work for the betterment of the country, not individual,” said Chakwera.
Construction of Phalombe District Hospital started in 2010 during Bingu wa Mutharika’s administration following approval of a $15 million loan from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (Badea) in 2008 and $7 million from the Kuwait Fund in 2011.
The project was sustained by the Joyce Banda administration in 2012 which obtained $18 million from Badea in 2013 and was completed by the Chakwera administration this year.
Chakwera said: “It feels good to finally say welcome to Phalombe District Hospital. This facility is a symbol of my administration’s commitment to complete development projects that the previous regime was not able to finish, it is also a symbol of our responsible use of public funds for today’s launch marks the end of the era in which this facility was listed in budget after budget in the past without any progress on the ground as it was a pretext for graft.”
He said the hospital signifies government’s commitment to the improved delivery of health services across the country and thanked Badea and the Saudi Fund for Development for the K30 billion fund made available for the project.
The hospital is fitted with modern equipment supported by 300 healthcare workers and will serve over 450 000 people in Phalombe and surrounding districts.
Chakwera said the government will soon start constructing new district hospitals in Chikwawa, Dowa and Rumphi besides finalising construction of the National Cancer Centre in Lilongwe.
He said several other health centres and posts were also planned to increase access to quality health services in the country.
Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda saluted Bingu for his vision to have a modern hospital in Phalombe, saying people in the district will now have better healthcare services.
She expressed worry that Malawians still walk long distances to access health services and pledged the government’s commitment to construct more health facilities.
Both Senior Chief Kaduya and Phalombe Central legislator George Million seized the opportunity to ask the President to intervene in the hunger situation in the area.
Kaduya further expressed worry over the delay in rolling out this year’s Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP).
She said: “Fertiliser is nowhere to be found, we are now panicking because the rainy season is approaching. It is also our plea that you reopen Admarc.”
Before the hospital was constructed, people in Phalombe depended on Holy Family Mission Hospital and others such as Zomba Central Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre.
