The Government of China has provided a K3.5 billion grant to Malawi to help reduce maternal and newborn deaths, according to a UNICEF press release. The two-year initiative will be implemented through UNICEF and targets vulnerable communities in the Nkhata Bay, Balaka, and Mwanza districts. Minister of Health Madalitso Baloyi welcomed the funding, stating that it will support primary healthcare systems and expand access to emergency services for mothers and babies.
Update: The government's recent ban on public health workers holding private medical jobs or owning clinics continues to divide the health sector, DW reports. President Peter Mutharika issued an executive order in February giving state health workers 30 days to close their private practices. The policy was introduced to combat hospital corruption, with some citizens noting that public patients are frequently referred to private pharmacies owned by state employees.
However, health experts and advocates, including Maziko Matemba of the Health and Rights Education Programme, have criticized the directive. Speaking to DW, Matemba cautioned that the policy ignores poor public sector pay and could worsen existing staff shortages. He warned that doctors and nurses who rely on private practice to supplement their wages might decide to resign from the public system entirely.