Operations at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital ‘s delivery suite (labour ward) have heavily been affected with the critical shortage of midwives, we can reveal.
Tonight, the suite only has got three midwives on duty against the required number of 13 midwives on a shift.
The three are expected to attend to 24 delivery beds in the ward. They will also be attending to other duties.
An insider who confided in us said the situation has been like that for a while but the facility’s management is failing to address the situation.
We can also reveal that currently, the hospital Management is relying on nurses working on upkeep basis.
The development puts a heavy risk on expectant mothers as they may hardly be attended to when in labour.
On average, over 35 newborns are delivered at Quech every day.
TNM Super League defending champions Nyasa Big Bullets have dislodged their neighbors Mighty Mukuru Wanderers on top of the TNM Super League log table as they recorded a 3-1 win over Moyale Barracks at Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday.
The People’s team got off to the perfect start in the fifth minute courtesy of Lanjesi Nkhoma’s goal who connected well a brilliant pass from Patrick Mwawungulu.
Man of the match Lanjesi Nkhoma
Hassan Kajoke continued the script for a perfect afternoon for the Ndirande outfit as he sublimely flicked the ball into Moyale Barracks’ net after receiving an assist from man of the match Lanjesi Nkhoma in the 17th minute.
Moyale had a chance to get an equaliser in the 32nd minute through Henry Misinjo but his shot was blocked by Bullets defender Clyde Senaji before the Kenyan blocked yet another shot by the soldiers three minutes later.
Moyale made two substitutions a minute before half time, bringing in Prince Phiri and former Bullets and Sable Farming defender George Nyirenda for Henry Misinjo and Lovemore Jere.
Anthony Mfune scored Bullets’ third goal and his first goal of the season in the 65th minute with a cool finish inside the box after yet another brilliant assist by Nkhoma.
The visitors got their consolation in the 68th minute through Raphael Phiri who connected well a Brown Maganga’s free kick.
In other matches played on Saturday, Blue Eagles thumped Chitipa United 3-1 while Civil Service United and Moyale Barracks drew 1-1 at Civo Stadium.
Bullets are now on top with 10 points followed by Wanderers who are second with 9 points but the Lali Lubani boys have played a game less than Bullets who have so far played four games.
Silver Strikers are third with 7 points points while Karonga United and Blue Eagles are fourth and fifth respectively with 5 points.
Students who are doing internal auditing program and other related programs in various higher learning institutions in the country have been urged to start developing a team work habit among themselves if they are to know more things within the field.
The call was made by Lass Phiri, an internal audit manager at NICO Holdings Limited who was speaking on Friday during ‘May Awareness’ event organized by Society for Internal Auditing Students(SIAS) at Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS)
Phiri said:”You cannot do something right alone. As an internal auditor, you have always to interact with colleagues so as to learn new things. Internal auding is too much involving and needs team work.”
MUBAS internal auditing students
She added that for them to be more productive future Internal auditors, they must also develop a habit to obtain internal auditing skills and training that will help them to adopt new changes that come in the field.
Phiri further emphasized on the importance of having a wide knowledge on various skills especially communication skills among internal auditors for them to perform their duties effectively.
“As future internal auditors, be more knowledgeable on various skills related to internal auditing especially communication skills for you to perform your duties effectively.
“You cannot communicate to a client who is in need of your auditing services if you do not have enough communication skills. By now, you must develop a habit to gain various skills including communication skills which are very important in internal auditing,” she said.
On his part, Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) Director of Pension and Insurance Paul Nyirenda who was a guest of honour at the event encouraged the students to embrace the use of technology if they are to become more productive internal auditors in future.
“Things are changing day in and day out. Technology becomes more useful nowadays than before. So like it is everywhere, in internal auditing, there is also a need of using technology in things like research presentations, audit observations and even when you are writing audit reports,” he said.
Nyirenda who is part of people who pioneered the introduction of internal auditing degree program at MUBAS went on to appeal to institutions and organizations to conduct frequent internal auditing trainings for them to accomplish several objectives.
In his remarks, Ketson Kayuni, a third year internal auditing student at MUBAS and a president of Society for Internal Auditing Students (SIAS) said their society organises the’ May Awareness’ event every year with an aim of bringing together internal auditing professionals from various organizations and institutions to inspire and tell them what happens at industry.
“The ‘May Awareness’ is an important event for us who want to become internal auditors.
“Briefly, the event’s main aim is to inspire, encourage and guide Internal auditing students for them to become productive internal auditors in future,” he said.
Kayuni then thanked the guest of honour Paul Nyirenda and all invited internal auditing professionals for sparing their busy schedules and attended the event.
“We did not expect them to honour our invitations. To say the truth,their presence at the event means a lot to us.
“They have shared with us a lot of things and we hope these will help us to improve where we are weak. We have been encouraged, we have been guided and we have heard new things that we did not know we will meet in our internal auditing duties. We say thank you!,” thanked Kayuni.
Internal Audit was established by Malawi government in July, 2003 to improve accountability in the use of public resources, reduce potential risks of corruption and financial mismanagement.
Paul Nyirenda, RBM Director of Pension and InsuranceLass Phiri, Internal Audit Manager, NICO Holdings Limited.
A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential hopeful Paul Msikula Gadama has said that Malawi now needs new blood with new thinking for it to excel.
In a statement released on Friday, Gadama says he has noticed something which many Malawians are not aware of.
He says as a country,Malawi is passing through a lot of challenges which are immeasurable and the leadership is now idle without any concern and any plans to save the citizens.
“Life has become more difficult to live and to have two meals a day, it is like you’re pushing the train to the next destination.
“We have two big parties which is democratic progressive party and Malawi Congress party but it has been proven that both parties have failed Malawians.
“Malawi congress party they came with prop but through what is happening they have failed big time everything is not adding.
“You wake up in the morning you hear issue of no fuel on the pumps, issues of shortage of forex now has turned into nation anthem, no drugs in the hospital, no roads in Malawi, ” reads part of his statement
It adds:”We are remaining with jealous and envy as prescribed in our nation anthem.
“During DPP things were not fine as some people described it but the world economic was at a good level, we cannot compare Muluzi time and Kamuzu regime.
“If democratic progressive party was better why did Malawi was still standing as one of the poorest country in the world, I strongly believe that if they were able to control our economy we could come out of poverty zone, but poverty margined was increased with 28% therefore for me DPP did nothing but they were good to decorate there problems and define it as better.”
According to Gadama, the key aspects in the economic growth is increase in the nation Gross domestic product or GDP which is a measure of the size and health of a country’s economy over a period of time (usually one quarter or one year).
He says Malawi has all important factors for it to develop but just lucks a strong leadership.
“The other main factor that makes countries in Africa to fail a specially in Malawi is the issue of nepotism, regionalism and tribalism and this happens so much with Chewas and the Lhomwe.
“During DPP it was only one tribe while with MCP is also passing through the same suits, during DPP it has six ministers from Thyolo district only while the whole central region had one minister, just for example. Do you think the country can prosper! The answer is NO!.
“We need fresh blood, people like Mbakuwaku, Gadama, KENAN and many more, they need to come together and come up with new leadership frame.
“You may find that some people in DPP are in the wrong place and are not well embraced, if DPP could be a good party they could just agree to give the party to people like Gadama and southern region they could just give Vice but not five candidates from one region and one from central region, some parties are keeping hold without knowing it. this should tell you something you Malawians, if this people could be one, they couldn’t be fighting for the position which there are not supposed to take. If we can remove our tribal elements in our parties I strongly believe we could be more unified and develop easily. Malawi Congress party once tried to give it to Gwanda,” he suggests.
He says, there must be a change in country’s politics where no one tribe can rule Malawi for ages.
“please let us consider other’s. rotation Leadership is solution to all parties in Malawi. For your own information Malawi has three region, we have north central and south. We don’t have eastern region,” he says.
DPP will hold its convention in July where party members are expected to elect the party’s President who is going to represent the party in 2025 polls.
Among the party’s six presidential aspirants who have so far shown their interests to compete for the presidency are Paul Msikula Gadama, Kondwani Nankhumwa, Dalitso Kabambe, Joseph Mwanamvekha, Bright Msaka and Cedrick Ngalande.
President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera’s is utilising the King Charles’ coronation trip in the United Kingdom to court various investors to invest in Malawi.
On Thursady, President Chakwera held discussions with Davies Martin, Head of Nuveen Natural Capital.
Writing on his Facebook page, the Malawi Head of State indicated that Nuveen Natural Capital has expressed interest to invest in Malawi’s agricultural sector.
He writes: “On Thursday I met Mr Davies Martin, Head of Naveen Capital in London who has expressed interest to invest in Malawi’s agricultural sector.”
President Chakwera and Davies Martin
The President further revealed that that Nuveen Natural Capital is planning to invest heavily in the value addition of the Malawi’s agri products, an initiative aimed at helping smalll scale farmers in the country to scale up their profits.
“I have gladly learnt that they [Nuveen Natural Capital] also intend to initiate a robust value addition revolution to transform the fortunes of our small scale farmers,” said Chakwera.
Between now and the day of his return, President Chakwera is expected to hold bilateral meetings with other Heads of State beside meeting business leaders.
