Chitedze Research Station Be A Commission- Jumbe

Member of Parliament for Salima Central, Felix Jumbe says Malawi can enhance functions of Research Stations and also put to an end issues of inadequate funding for these institutions by turning Chitedze Research Station to become National Research Commission of Malawi. 

Jumbe also Chairperson for Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Food and Water Development, said in an interview that, at the moment Chitedze Research Station and all other research stations in the country are failing to function as it were in the past because of lack of Funding.

He said following the recent de-linking of Chitedze Research Station from Luanar turning the Research Stations as Authority will be the best way of improving effiencies than keeping them within Government Departments under Ministry of Agriculture.

The Research Stations in Malawi are among Government Departments under Ministry of Agriculture.

However, Hon Jumbe said there is need to reorganize these institutions whose organization structures were designed in 1960’s for them to deliver with efficiency at this time.

He therefore said the best alternative to the funding for research stations and ensure efficiency is to make them a standalone institution which can carry out agricultural research tasks for private sector at a fee. 

“We would rather want to see Chitedze Research Station becoming a National Research Commission of Malawi that would cover, Lunyangwa, Bvumbwe and all the research stations to be under their control” said Jumbe

He said other countries like Zambia and Kenya have done the same.

“If Chitedze become a Commission, will enable it to interface with private sector undertake work of Private sector on payment basis and make them be able to make money own their own.” He said 

“Chitedze Research Station is not functioning as it were in the past because of lack of Funding. But, to me lack of funding is lack of planning and lack of thinking; that we need to reform Chitedze and other research stations so that they could be operating own their own.

Chitedze has got a lot of land and capacity. They can undertake research for different companies on different fields and this can be at a fee.” 

He emphasize that this will help government agenda of breeding quality seeds and improved varieties and breed of animals.

He also said his committee will take this matter further by interface with the Minister to make him understand its importance so that the ministry can make a proposal of turning all the Research stations to become Commission.

Nutricom Cheers Up Patients, Promise To Fix Some Challenges At Area 18 Health Centre

Official from Nutricom giving gifts to a woman

on the floor are some Items donated to the patients 

A local company, Nutricom, brought laughter on New Year’s Eve to patients and guardians at Area 18 Health Centre in Lilongwe, when the company paid a visit to shared with them various food items including their famous product, Kombucha juice.

Peter Ndalama, Director for Nutricom while cheering up the patients made a promise to the hospital management that the company is coming back make a donation of bedsheets and help to sort out some other challenges facing the health centre.

Masiyano in white gown and to his left is Ndalama

Ndalama and Masiyano giving gifts to patient 

Ndalama said as the year of 2015 comes to an end enters 2016, Nutricom felt the importance of cheer-up the sick at Area 18 Health Centre which is closer to the company’s operational area.

The company presented to each patient some New Year’s Eve gifts which included various food items and some toiletries. 

For these gifts, Ndalama said “We also knew that the clinic has admitted some patients who may not be able to access to some basic items during this festive season.” He then added that this was also part of showing appreciation to the society for the good business happened in just ended year of 2015.

Apart from reaching out to patients, Nutricom has also committed itself to fix some challenges facing the Health Centre.

“When we entered the hospital wards, we noted that the Health Centre has inadequate bed sheets. So we are definitely coming back soon to donate the bed sheets. 

We also learnt that their water reservoir is not functioning, so on Monday (on 3rd January 2016) we are sending our Plumber to fix the problem.” Assures Ndalama

Masiyano

Meanwhile, the Chief Clinical Officer for the Health Centre, Kedson Masiyano has expressed the hospital’s sincere appreciation for the gesture and asked other companies to borrow leaf from Nutricom.

Masiyano explaning more about the hospital to
Nutricom officials

“We are very excited and it has been a double celebration for us. We are just coming out of Christmas and we are entering a new year, so with their coming they have assisted us with food items for patients. As you may know, Area 18 Health Centre does not have a kitchen. Patients that we keep they bring their own food from home but some of them do have some challenges to access the food.” Said Masiyano

He further highlighted that the food items that have been given to patients was complimenting to the hospital’s advice that patients must always take nutritious food.

Speaking on the promised support from the company, the Chief Clinical Officer said Nutricom assistance “is a positive move in the right direction” 

Masiyano pointed out that at the moment the health centre does not have enough bedclothes and for this reason most patients bring beddings from home.

On the problem of water reservoir he said; “Sometimes we do face problems with intermittent water supply from the Water Board and yet we do have a reservoir which is not functioning for some time.”

ETG Sales Clerks In Custody For Overcharging Subsidised Fertiliser

Two female sales clerk for Export Trading Group (ETG) in Mwanza district have been arrested for allegedly overpricing fertiliser under Government 'Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP)' meant for smallholder farmers.

Under FISP, smallholder farmers are buying each bag of fertilizer at K3, 500. However the two officers asking farmers to pay an extra K1,500 per bag of the commodity.

Two employees Thokozani Chitaonga aged 18 and Martha Jali aged 32 working at Mchotseni ETG Depot were caught red handed after a victim customer reported them to police.

Confirming on the development, Mwanza district Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Edwin Kaunda, said as the two were on duty on Tuesday selling fertiliser they told a customer wanting to buy two bags of fertilizer to pay more than normal price.

Inspector Kaunda said when the customer identified as Richard Mikeasi was about to pay for his two bags of fertilizer the two female sales clerks asked him to pay K10 thousand instead of K7 thousand.

"The customer was surprised to hear these women asking him to pay extra K3 thousand to get two bags of fertiliser. But he accepted to pay as told and he later tipped police about his encounter at the shop." Explains Kaunda

"When we got the information we did not hesitate to effect an arrest of these two women" said Kaunda

The suspects Thokozani Chitaonga aged 18 hails from Malili village in the area of Traditional Authority Malili in Lilongwe while her accomplice Martha Jali aged 32 hails from Mapila village in the area of Traditional Authority Njolomole in Ntcheu district.

The Police officer said the two will get charges of Official Corruption and are expected to appear in court soon.

Controversy Over Morgan Heritage Performance Using Instrumental Tracks at Lilongwe Show

Gramps, Peetah and Mojo performance at
Silver Stadium 

Sunday night performance by the famous reggae band, Morgan Heritage gets divided views in Malawi following their one and half hour live performance using laptop to play their instrumetal music tracks.

Morgan Heritage ‘CTBC’ International For Growth Of Young African Talents

Young Africans aspiring to become music stars will very soon have a big platform to grow their talent and get exposure to the whole world as the Jamaica’s music group, Morgan Heritage promise to bring their Cool To Be Conscious (CTBC) Music company to the continent of Africa.

Morgan Heritage Promise “Great” Show And Another Festival In 2016

From left to right: Gramps, Peetah, Mojo
and Born Afrika (pic by Fatsani Menyani)

Nervousness and waiting for the World’s famous Reggae music group, Morgan Heritage to come to Malawi is finally over, as three band members arrives in the country. This puts to an end all worries and possibility of having the show cancelled following postponement of their Zimbabwe and Senegal shows.

We Need Adequate, Sustainable Financing Of Health Sector- Trapence

Trapence in red scarf: pictured in November 2015
briefing media after presentimg petition to
National Assembly calling for adequate and
Sustainable financing of health sector 

Rights Activists continue to call for adequate and suitable financing of the Malawi’s Health Sector.

Gift Trapence, Executive Director for Cedep and Chairperson for Citizens Forum for the Defense of Good Governance said in an interview that the country needs to end persistently health sector challenges by making sure that the sector is adequately allocated with funding from the national budget and implement other sustainable ways of financing the sector including suggested user fees in hospitals.

The calls are coming at the moment the country is continuously facing challenges in the Health Sector which includes shortage of drugs, inadequate nurses and doctors, stoppage of Locum services among others.

“What we are asking the Government is to make sure that they are able to support or finance the Health System, at least 15% of the National total budget should be allocated to Ministry of Health or to the Health Sector." He said

Trapence

"This is in line with the Government Commitment what we call Abuja Declarations. African nations signed this declaration so that they are able to finance the health sector with enough resources with enough human resource. So we would want to see a shift in the way how we prioritize our spending we want more spending to the health sector. 

But as well, to have a long lasting solution in terms of sustainable financing of the health sector. Because what we have seen, there is a lot of ad hoc in the way how we finance the ministry of health and yet this is a most critical sector that we need to fund. Because healthy people means healthy nation and also it means development.” Explained Trapence 

He said Malawi has little resources but if used better some challenges can be fixed and emphasised prioritizing the spending because they can contribute meaningfully in averting challenges being faced.

On Friday, 20th November this year, concerned citizens comprising of Civil Society Organizations, Health Professional Associations and Patient Interest Groups delivered petition to the National Assembly calling for immediate response to the persistently inadequate national budget allocation to the health sector.

The petition highlighted number of challenges the country is facing due to inadequate funding of the sector.

It raised concern that Malawi remains one of the countries failing to meet the World Health organization (WHO) standard of 23 doctors/10,000 population necessary to deliver essential health services.  However, currently Malawi has 2 doctors and 37 midwives for every 100,000 people. And that the situation does not spare the paramedics and pharmacists.

The petition also revealed that due to inadequate funding most hospitals have stopped Locum Services.

They also asked government to speed up the consultation processes on health financing including user fees as an option to sustainably finance the health sector.

“It is healthy people who will fully contribute to the development of this nation. Therefore investing in health is one sure way of accelerating the sustainable development of the nation of Malawi. This is why the need to obtain 15% national budget allocation, including a clear strategy to strengthen the health systems can never be overemphasized. However the Government needs to realize that achievement of the Essential Health Package requires continued adequate financing.” Read the petition