MANAonline
Low turnout persists in Rumphi voter registration
By Manasse Nyirenda
Rumphi, November 14, Mana: Five days into second phase of voter registration, figures we have accessed from seven of 168 centres show that turn out is still low since the exercise commenced on Saturday, November 9, 2024.
Figures from Kanyerere, Bumba, Saint Dennis and Mayembe Primary Schools, Rumphi Prison and Rumphi Magistrates Court in Rumphi Central Constituency and Chiwondora Primary School in Rumphi East show under 2500 had registered by Wednesday.
Rumphi District Chairperson for Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Kennie Mzembe says as a party they are working hard to get more people to register in order for them to vote in 2025.
"This coming weekend we will be joined by some senior party officials to help mobilize people to register," said Mzembe.
UTM Director of Youth for the North, Afike Mbewe says his party is also sensitizing people to register in preparation for 2025 General Elections.
Supervisor at St Dennis Primary School Centre at the Boma says he is optimistic that numbers will improve as registration progresses.
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) and others are on the ground sensitizing people to register in order to be able to vote in 2025 General Elections.
Registration in the district started on November 9 and is expected to wind up on November 22, 2024.
Government commits to ensuring access to safe water - Chakwera
By Sylvester Kumwenda
Dowa, November 14, Mana: President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has said government is committed in making sure all Malawians have access to safe water as one way of ensuring healthy lives for Malawians.
He was speaking Thursday to multitudes gathered at Chezi trading centre in Dowa southeast constituency during a whistle stop the president is conducting in the district.
Chakwera said as government is implementing various developments, one priority area is provision of clean and safe water to people.
"We want all Malawians to have safe water and that is why we are intensifying installing piped water systems like what we are doing here at Chezi. We are also constructing dams to make sure we have adequate water for all. The idea is to in the future, do away with boreholes
"We are doing all this to reduce risks of diseases like cholera because we do not want a repeat of what happened a few years ago, so it is our responsibility as government to put in place efforts to ensure a healthy population," he said.
The president also said government will continue with food distribution exercises to people around Chezi and Dowa as a whole.
"Farmers here are hardworking and produce a lot and they feed the country as well.
"But we experienced food shortages because of erratic weather trends. As government, we will continue with maize distribution and enroll other beneficiaries on the program so that all are saved from hunger," he said.
On this, he added saying government will also make sure of availability of fertiliser so that all may be able to access the commodity.
He then committed to providing more development to improve lives of people in Dowa. But the president asked people to go and register in large numbers so that they may be able to vote in the forthcoming elections.
In her remarks, parliamentarian for the area Halima Daudi who is also deputy minister of health said the president deserves to be applauded for the various developments he is implementing in the country.
"You have done a lot of which others have failed in more than 20 years. You are trying your best to give us food, schools, bridges and roads. In terms of fertiliser, people here have already started purchasing in readiness of this growing season.
"The only way we can show our appreciation is to make sure we all register and vote for you in the 2025 elections,”said Daudi.
Traditional Authority Nkukula speaking earlier said people from the area appreciated the coming of the president as this indicated the love the president has for the people in the area.
He described the area as stronghold for the president, and said people are ready for the 2025 elections.
He then thanked the president for maize distribution initiatives but asked that more young people are included on programs like NEEF.
Two little girls die as wall collapses on them in Chikwawa
By Willy Kadewere
Chikwawa, November 13, Mana: Two little girls died after the wall of a dilapidated house fell on them this week at Gola at Traditional Authority Chapananga in Chikwawa District where the bodies were discovered in a rubble after some hours.
Chikwawa Police Public Relations Officer, Sergeant Dickson Matemba confirmed the incident and deceased children were identified as Vanessa Madandaulo, 4 and Esnart Stonard, 5.
According to Chikwawa Police the two were left home while their parents went out to do some activities within the area and it was believed that in the course of the play, the wall of an abandoned house fell on them.
Sergeant Matemba added that in the evening, the parents discovered that the children were missing thereby prompting them to start searching within the neighbourhood.
“Later, they discovered two lifeless bodies under the rubbles in one of the houses that the children used to play,” he added.
Police and a medical team rushed to the accident scene and after conducting postmortem, it was discovered that the death was due to suffocation after the rubbles had covered them, according to the Police PRO in Chikwawa.
The police in the district therefore warned parents to closely monitor movements of their children to avoid similar incidents.
Word Alive International Ministries to host Salvation Concert
By Hope Chimwala
Blantyre, November 14, Mana: Word Alive International Ministries has organized a free entry gospel salvation concert that will take place on Saturday in Blantyre as a way of reaching out to lost souls and confirmed that all is set at the Word Alice City Church, Off Mandala Road in Blantyre.
Special Events Coordinator, Cecila Bakuwa told Malawi News Agency (Mana) Wednesday that there would be no entry fee to the gospel salvation concert, adding that concert would be open to all.
She added that gospel music will reach out to all people across the generations and for all walks of life.
“The church shall go out for placard evangelism in the streets at 9am and from 1pm to 5pm that’s when we shall come together to celebrate and also reach out to the many,” Bakuwa said.
The Special Event Coordinator confirmed that all was set for the event with artists such Frank Chimpazi, Simplice Bless, John Fire and Word Alive Worship team in attendance,
One of the gospel artists, Simplice Bless confirmed his presence saying that he was set for the concert.
“People should expect the move of God because where his children are gathered, He always manifests Himself and fulfills the purpose of the gathering,” he said.
The Global Fund promotes medication testing for safer Malawi
By Priscilla Phiri
Lilongwe, November 12, Mana: In a breakthrough, Malawi’s Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) has joined the global elite in medicines and medical supplies testing, ensuring safer healthcare for millions.
With a hefty sum of K276 billion grant from the Global Fund, PMRA’s laboratory has earned an ISO 17025 accreditation, which puts PMRA on the global map as a trusted authority in medicine testing.
Through this accreditation, PMRA can now perform thorough and precise tests on medications, ensuring they meet the highest safety and efficacy standards.
Director General for PMRA, Mphatso Kawaye, the journey began with a critical self-assessment in 2015 when an audit revealed key challenges that PMRA had.
“This assessment identified four key issues which were insufficient laboratory space, inadequate equipment and unqualified staff as well as the absence of a proper quality management system,” he said.
Realizing the impact of the outcomes of the assessment in the operations of the authority, PMRA went further to address some of the challenges through construction of the state-of-the art laboratory and office space with funding from Malawi government and Global Fund.
Beyond just constructing the building, PMRA needed to resolve equipment and quality management deficiencies. To do this systematically, the authority proposed a Laboratory Capacity Building Project to the Global Fund which was approved under the NFM3 in 2018.
According to Kawaye, this project has been implemented until 2024 culminating PMRA’s accreditation.
With this grant, PMRA now has a high-end gear procured at a tune of USD 728,000 with funding from the Global Fund which has also covered maintenance service expenses for the equipment realizing that the advanced equipment requires specialized companies for servicing.
Among other equipment that PMRA procured are: High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Microbial Testing Equipment, Fourier- Transform Inferred Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).
Additionally, the initiative included an extensive training for PMRA’s analysts, equipping them with the skills needed to operate the new equipment.
The training was done by USP-Ghana, a renowned expert in pharmaceutical regulation and quality assurance in Africa.
This development marked a significant milestone for PMRA in positioning it as a key player in the global effort to ensure quality and safety of pharmaceuticals.
“As we speak, now PMRA’s National Quality Control Laboratory is ISO17025 accredited, and we can give reliable results.
“Just by getting this accreditation we are qualified to be testing medicines that are bought by UN organizations or even Global Fund itself whose quality assurance policies clearly states that you cannot test products bought through its systems in a lab that is not accredited or World Health Organization (WHO) qualified,” said Kawaye.
PMRA’s well known Chief Medical Analyst, Steven Chapima, highlighted the impact of the accreditation.
“Before the accreditation, when we test medicine and find that they are of poor quality, the suppliers would challenge our tests. This would leave us with no choice but to send the results to other reference labs for verification.
“This process took too much time and could not allow our clients like the Central Medical Stores Trust to distribute the medicines to hospitals and it could not allow them to dispose the medicines and in so doing patients were kept waiting for the medicines.
“Now that we are ISO 17025 certified, our results stand on their own which has reduced the time spent between testing of the medicine, distribution and patient use,” Chapima said.
He revealed that the new equipment has also built PMRA’s capacity to test most essential medicines like ARVs among others and perform critical checks of medicines before their registration and distribution.
Mixing Analyst, Moses Sondashi, who is among PMRA’s seven analysts that benefited from the USP Ghana mentorship, hailed the training saying it has helped him stay updated with pharmaceutical technicalities, ensuring quality aspects and good laboratory practices
In addition to its laboratory accreditation, PMRA has made significant strides in pharmacovigilance.
The authority said has established a robust system for monitoring and reporting adverse drug reactions, enhancing patient safety.
With PMRA’s upgraded capabilities, Malawians will benefit from enhanced medicine quality control, reduced risk of substandard medicines, improved patient safety, and increased confidence in the healthcare system.
Notably, the prevalence of substandard medicines in Malawi is currently estimated at 4 percent, below the global average.
According to WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, access to quality medicines is a fundamental right and there is need to ensure that all medicines meet the highest standards.
Global Fund’s investment in PMRA demonstrates the power of collaborative efforts. By supporting national institutions, the Global Fund contributes to strengthened health systems, improved access to quality medicines, and enhanced capacity for disease prevention and treatment.
This achievement showcases the Global Fund’s transformative impact on healthcare systems worldwide. By empowering institutions like PMRA, the Global Fund saves lives, improves health outcomes, and strengthens global health security.
As PMRA continues to grow and develop, its impact on Malawi’s healthcare system will be profound. Safer medications, improved patient safety, and enhanced health outcomes will be the hallmarks of PMRA’s success.
With this achievement, Malawians can trust that their medications are safe and effective. The country’s pharmaceutical landscape has been forever changed.
Global Fund is a financing institution that works in a partnership and achieves success by supporting implementer governments, affected communities and other stakeholders in the country to have the tools that they themselves determine are needed to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
The Global Fund energizes PHIM
By Kondwani Magombo
Lilongwe, November 12, Mana: Until June 2023, the government of Malawi, through national Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) had been losing a lot of funds, sending samples of drug resistant cases of HIV, and TB, among others, abroad for analysis.
PHIM, which has its headquarters in the capital, Lilongwe, is a directorate within the Ministry of Health and it deals with disease surveillance and diagnostics, and quality management through refresher courses and mentorship to ensure quality results in district hospitals.
Other than losing funds, the country had also been wasting time as PHIM awaited the results of the samples sent abroad before making decisions.
But PHIM, today, no longer relies on foreign institutions to analyze any samples as the Institute can now do the task on its own, thanks to Global Fund.
“The Global Fund has been a good partner in laboratory services in Malawi: Previously, we used to send these samples either to South Africa, Uganda or Kenya and it could take longer than expected,” explains PHIM Deputy Director for National Public Health Laboratory, Joseph Bitilinyu Bango.
“But now, with the support from the Global Fund, we are able to carry out the tests on our own since June 2023, and it only takes 2 weeks before the results are out,” he adds.
According to Bangoh, the Global Fund’s support in drug-resistant sample testing is a relief to both the institution and clients who could, previously, wait for half a year to know what was wrong in their bodies.
As a directorate dealing with specialized tests, PHIM has the following departments: TB Reference Laboratory; HIV Reference Laboratory; Parasitology and Vector Disease Reference Laboratory; Micro-biology National Genomic Sequencing Laboratory; as well as Genomic Biochemistry, Hematology and Nutrition.
All these departments benefit from Global Fund’s support either through equipment and supplies, or capacity building through training of staff.
In HIV Reference Laboratory, for instance, Global Fund has been supporting department with reagents and supplies, and the Fund has also been supporting rapid testing across Malawi, according to Chifundo Banda, Chief Laboratory Scientist and Head of the National HIV Reference Laboratory, where the Genomics Reference Laboratory is also housed.
The department oversees about 6,000 service providers (public and private hospitals) across Malawi, ensuring provision of quality services regarding HIV testing.
The department also conducts verification of test kits; and it also conducts confirmatory testing when the service providers are not able to determine results after a test.
The advanced equipment which Global Fund supported PHIM within June 2023 remains a long stride in the HIV Reference Laboratory department – especially in determining drug resistant samples.
“Keeping patients waiting for 6 months before they knew what was happening in their bodies was very retrogressive,” explains Banda. “Now we are able to test drug resistant HIV and get the results in two weeks: This is progress.”
Banda adds that with Global Fund’s support towards her department, Malawi is on the right path towards achieving the 95:95:95 targets so that the country does not have any new infections by 2030, among others.
Global Fund has also been instrumental in supporting malaria programs through the National Parasitology Reference Laboratory department, whose role is to detect all kinds of parasites, and oversee other peripheral labs across the country.
According to Chief Laboratory Scientist and Head of the department, Shenton Kacheche, Global Fund has supported capacity building by training staff in malaria diagnosis.
He acknowledges that with the Global Fund’s capacity building support, the department’s performance has improved tremendously.
“The refresher courses are very important, and they have improved the performance of our staff and that of our peripheral health facilities,” explains Kacheche.
He adds: “Previously, this lab’s performance was very low – below 50 percent. But after the trainings, past rounds of KUHES (Kamuzu University of Health Science) test, we scored 100 percent.”
More gains made through Global Fund’s support at PHIM are shared by Dorothy Moyo Kalata, Chief Laboratory Scientist and Manager for TB Reference Laboratory.
The department oversees TB diagnostic network across Malawi, doing TB culture, and conducting confirmatory tests, among other tasks.
The Global Fund has supported the department with procurement of equipment for testing, and establishment of culture labs in the south and in the north, given the overwhelming work that the department has.
“So, with the Global Fund’s support, we have set up culture lab at Zomba Central Hospital in the south, and another one at Mzuzu Central Hospital in the north,” Kalata explains.
Over the years since Malawi introduced molecular testing of TB using GeneXpert machine, the Global Fund has assisted the department with the procurement of the equipment and according to, Kalata, there are 210 GeneXpert machines across the country.
The Global Fund has also helped the TB Reference Laboratory in capacity building and testing coverage for TB as the department boasts 418 testing sites across Malawi, with some of these sites located in very remote areas.
With the Global Fund’s support, the TB Reference Laboratory also assembles Mobile Diagnostic Units (MDU) for TB in the form of vans equipped with GeneXpert and x-ray machines each, and they are deployed to the country’s border posts to test incoming and outgoing travelers for TB.
Chakwera urged Malawians on the importance of voter registration
By Happy Milanzie
Lilongwe November 13, Mana: President of the Republic of Malawi Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has urged the people of Waliranji in Mchinji District to go in large numbers to register with Malawi Electrical Commission (MEC) in preparation for 2025 tripartite elections.
Chakwera is conducting a whistle-stop tour to inspect development projects in Mchinji, starting from Waliranji and continuing to seven other locations in the district.
Chakwera made the remarks at Waliranji Trading Centre that people must go and register with Malawi Electrical Commission and not wait for the closing day that was indicated by MEC.
"2025 tripartite elections are just around the corner so you should not wait for others to make the decisions on behalf of your partial decision, therefore you need to rush for the registration," he said.
Chakwera further stated that for development to progress in the country, registration serves as the foundation, as it is essential for the voting process in the upcoming 2025 tripartite elections.
"Your vote played pivot role for the development that the government has already portrayed to the country so this is the right time for the people of Waliranji to make a decision through the vote," he added.
Chakwera is expected to visit about eight places in Mchinji to address the district on the importance of voter registration and including the actual voting.
Representative of Traditional Mavyele Chief Zanga appealed to President Chakwera to not stop helping the farmers with agricultural inputs including offering good prices for all crops.
In addition, the chief said despite that government provided the affordable inputs, people around Mavyele are suffering from hunger and obtaining loans from the government.
Zomba Central Hospital gets K2 billion CT-Scan Machine
By Leonard Masauli and Patricia Kapulula
Zomba, November 12, Mana: Zomba Central Hospital, located in the city of Zomba, has an extended catchment area comprising several district hospitals in Southern region OF Malawi.
For a long time, the country’s oldest referral hospital was being overwhelmed with clients in need of Computed Tomography (CT) scan services because most of the district hospitals do not have functioning machines hence refer their patients to Zomba Central Hospital.
While some patients seek such services from private hospitals where they paid huge sums of money, others could just resign to fate, as they could not afford the bills in private facilities, transport and upkeep to travel to Blantyre.
However, with the intervention of the Global Fund to procure through Government of Malawi a K2 billion CT scan, the pharma-grade incinerator, and the Infectious Disease Unit (IDU) Machine, patients have seen a tremendous change as far as healthcare provision is concerned.
During the commissioning ceremony at Zomba Central Hospital in July this year, the Minister of Health, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said the Ministry is determined to fight against diseases.
She said to achieve this enormous objective, it became imperative that Ministry of Health put in place the necessary infrastructure and equipment including the recruitment of health care workers to carry out this enormous task effectively.
“I feel privileged and honoured to inaugurate the CT scanning facility, the Medical Incineration Services Facility and the Infectious Disease Unit (IDU) at the Zomba Central Hospital (ZCH).
“The CT scan worth over K2 billion and this Pharma-grade incinerator installed at Kasungu District Hospital worth K453million, are courtesy of the support from the Global Fund,” Chiponda added.
She said the funds for these state-of-the-art machines were awarded to Malawi as part of the Covid-19 response mechanism grant to strengthen the health systems and make the health infrastructure robust and resilient to future pandemics.
“We are thrilled that the Eastern region community, where Zomba is, will now have enhanced access to care close to home. This state-of-the-art technology is a game-changer, eliminating the need for Eastern region residents to travel to other centres for CT scanning.
“The CT scanner is not just a machine; it is a promise of prompt and accurate diagnoses and will aid in timely treatments elevating the overall standard of care, it will reduce travel burdens for patients, and an enhanced capability for our healthcare professionals to provide the best care possible.
She said this marks a beacon of hope for those who may find themselves in need, reinforcing the idea that no matter where the people are, healthcare excellence should be within their reach.
A CT scan is a medical imaging test that uses X-rays to create cross-sectional images of the body. The patient lies on a table that slides into the CT scanner.
A narrow X-ray beam rotates around the patient’s body to detect health conditions and injuries like tumors, bone fractures and heart diseases.
Apart from Zomba Central Hospital, Global Fund has also donated Digital X-ray Machine to improve health care provision at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH).
The hospital serves up to 230 patients per day and the inside body imaging device has improved the hospital’s service delivery by having consistent services since its commissioning in June this year.
QECH Chief Radiographer and Head of Radiography, George Mubisa, hailed the commissioning of the machine saying it came at the right time when the hospital was overwhelmed with patients from district hospitals.
“This is state-of-the-art technology which produces high quality images. It has the capability of Artificial Intelligence which can analyze the chest X-ray and interpret results of the analysis and give scores in relation to the probability of a patient having tuberculosis (TB),” Mubisa said.
Besides pointing out the suggestive TB, technology also gives other scores of long pathologies including cancer and pneumonia.
Mubisa said this makes it easier for doctors to determine if the patient should go for further examination to reduce the waiting period for the patient to commence treatment.
Nurse in charge of the TB ward at QECH, Ruth Mbweza, said the digital X-ray has made it easier to discuss doctor-patient issues especially for multi-drug-resistant patients.
She said before the purchasing of the digital X-ray, it was difficult for them to send the results texts but now results come on time thereby necessitating the putting of the patient on treatment.
“Some issues are detected early and we discuss how to help the patient. It now takes 20 to 30 minutes to have the results,” she said.
The QECH, is also expected to have a modern Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and a CT scanner, which will help patients to access the service within reach.
Currently, patients requiring such services, are referred to Lyons at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe.
“We are only given a slot of seven patients per two weeks, yet we have more patients requiring such services.
“Demand is significantly high and we are not able to provide fullest potential services without the CT and MRI scanner. So their installation will really change service delivery for the better,” he said.
MANEPO wraps Up El Niño relief with maize distribution in M’deka
By Vida Msiyo
Blantyre, Nov 13, Mana: Malawi Network of Older Person’s Organizations (MANEPO) in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) on Tuesday completed a distribution of 50 kgs maize bags to residents affected by El Niño at Yesya Village in M’deka under T/A Chigalu.
The relief programme which began in September targeted 17,000 families, first providing each family with MK70,000 and then maize and on Tuesday, MANEPO wrapped up the project, reaching out to the remaining 106 families.
MANEPO’s Acting Humanitarian Manager, Maria Masiye said the food assistance aims at mitigating hunger among the affected households.
“We started in September and today we’re concluding the distribution, this food is crucial for families affected by El Niño, which disrupted their crop production, leaving them without sufficient food,” she said.
Masiye, however, advised beneficiaries particularly the elderly to remain vigilant about safety due to potential threats from others within the community.
Yesaya Village Civil Protection Committee Secretary, Wyson Namukoloma commended MANEPO and partners for the timely intervention, noting that the area faced severe food shortages.
“People here have been relying on mangoes as their primary source of food. So, together with MANEPO’s support we ensured that the distribution process was transparent and fair,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Susana John expressed gratitude, confessing that she initially had doubts about the aid.
“When they registered us, I thought it was just another list with no action but now, I have maize to sustain my family and I’m truly thankful,” John said.
The programme which will continue until February 2025 has also provided similar relief to families in traditional authorities Kuntaja and Lundu.
Parliament impressed with development projects in Ntcheu
By Maston Kaiya
Ntcheu, November 13, Mana: The Parliamentary Committee on Local Authorities and Rural Development has commended the implementation of Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD), District Development Fund (DDF) and Constituency Development Fund projects in Ntcheu district.
Chairperson of the committee Horace Chipuwa made the remarks on Wednesday during the committee's visit to GESD, DDF and CDF projects in the district.
"We came to appreciate various development projects in the district, from what we have seen at Gomani Chikuse Community Day Secondary School and Mdeka bridge, things are in order, we have appreciated the construction works at these sites," said Chipuwa.
He lauded the use of capable contractors who are able to finish quality work within a specified period as opposed to local artisans who usually have financial challenges.
The Director of Planning and Development (DPD) for Ntcheu District Council, Obed Mwalughali said the district adopted the use of big contractors with working capital without compromising the quality of work.
"We use contractors with financial capacity who are able to finish projects on time and without compromising quality," said Mwalughali.
The total cost of the 2024/25 GESD, DDF and CDF projects in the district is over MK 1.8 billion.
