Update: In a direct response to recent health rumors, Peter Mutharika has publicly dismissed claims that he is seriously ill and secretly traveled to South Africa for medical treatment. Speaking on the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation from Sanjika Palace, Mutharika declared the speculation "silly and laughable," according to Nyasa Times. He assured the public that he is in good health and criticized the spread of unverified death rumors for political purposes.
In healthcare infrastructure news, National Bank of Malawi plc has committed K317 million toward a micro-grid power project at Malamulo Mission Hospital in Thyolo, Nyasa Times reports. The investment represents a 50 percent contribution to the initiative, which is designed to address persistent power outages and voltage fluctuations at the facility. Once completed, the micro-grid will protect critical medical equipment and reduce operational costs for the hospital, which serves an estimated 500,000 people including patients from neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, the Malawi College of Health Sciences has officially released its 2026/2027 intake selection lists. Successful candidates for the economic fee-paying cohort have been instructed to report to the Lilongwe, Zomba, and Blantyre campuses starting May 4, 2026, while those selected for the upgrading diploma programs are scheduled to report to the Lilongwe campus on May 8 and May 11, according to the institution's official announcements.
In public health research, a new cross-sectional study published in medRxiv examined vaccine hesitancy among youth aged 18 to 35 in Nyungwe in rural northern Malawi. The research assessed local awareness and the dominance of peer networks in spreading health information, aiming to guide future immunization programming across the region.