Health Minister Madalitso Chidumu-Baloyi has banned group consultations in public hospitals following an undercover visit to Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe. Posing as a patient named Mercy Banda on March 7, the minister witnessed staff demanding K10,000 bribes for faster treatment, prioritizing relatives, and compromising patient privacy, according to Nyasa Times. Following the operation, Face of Malawi reports that the minister issued a directive on March 9 prohibiting the examination of multiple patients in the same room to protect confidentiality.
Health rights activist Maziko Matemba praised the undercover visit but noted that patients must testify against corrupt medical workers to achieve lasting change, Nyasa Times reports. The sting operation aligns with a wider government effort to address corruption in the public health sector. As an update to the ongoing dispute over private medical practices, the government has ordered public doctors and nurses to divest from private clinics within 30 days or face dismissal, according to allAfrica.
In other health developments, Deputy Minister of Health Charles Chilambula announced that Malawi is expanding its fight against antimicrobial resistance. Speaking at a Commonwealth Day event in Lilongwe on March 9, Chilambula stated the country is using Commonwealth-supported programmes to train frontline workers and implement an Electronic Medicines Management System, Maravi Express reports.
Meanwhile, a rural health centre in the Northern Region has upgraded its diagnostic capabilities. The Brother's Brother Foundation announced on March 9 that it provided a grant for a new ultrasound machine at St. Patrick's Health Centre in Rumphi District. The organization noted the equipment will allow local clinicians to monitor pregnancies and detect complications without transferring patients to larger referral hospitals.