By Evance Chisiano
Blantyre, June 6, Mana: The Accountant General’s Department is training accounts, procurement and human resources personnel in the Ministry of Health for two weeks at Regional Treasury Cashier, South offices, in Blantyre, to strengthen the personnel’s capacity in managing public finances within the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS).
Thursday morning, Secretary for Health, Dr. Samson Mndolo, opened the training of participants drawn from Government Health Commission, National Cancer Center, Department of Nutrition, Kamuzu Central Hospital, and Ministry of Health Headquarters.
Giving a background, Mndolo said, in March 2023, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Affairs issued a circular directing all cost centers under vote number 310 (Ministry of Health) to implement commitment controls within IFMIS.
He said the Ministry of Health adopted the commitment controls and this resulted into spending within approved budgets, preventing accumulation of arrears and improving financial forecasting and expenditure planning.
Mndolo therefore applauded the Accountant General’s Department for training accounts, procurement and human resources personnel from the Ministry of Health, acknowledging that this was the second phase of capacity building for the remaining cost centers under vote 310.
“The primary goal is to enhance competence of the personnel in the Ministry of Health in managing public funds. The training emphases efficiency and transparency in contract management,
“It is therefore important to understand that SAP-IFMIS is more than just a system, it is a vital tool in promoting financial discipline, transparency and accountability,” the Secretary for Health said as he addressed participants at the start of the training, calling them to play a pivotal role in putting into practice the IFMIS backed financial reforms.
He said their dedication and diligence in applying the acquired knowledge and skill will bolster credibility and efficiency in government financial operations.
“You are not merely system users, you are custodians of public trust and stewards of public resources,” Mndolo added, and he commended the Accountant General’s Department for providing the training.
The second cohort of training of the accounting, procurement and human resource personnel was organized under Malawi Emergency Project to Protect Essential Healthy Services (MEPPEHS)
MEPPEHS Coordinator, Moses Zulu said the training was in line with Public Finance Management Act of 2022, disclosing that personnel from central hospitals, Mzuzu, Lilongwe, Zomba and Queen Elizabeth in Blantyre were already trained.
He expressed hope that there will be sustainable use of IFMIS for long term efficiency management of public finance in the central hospitals and other sectors in the Ministry of Health.
Director of Accounting Services in the Ministry of Finance, Chifundo Kapulula, said in February 2014 cabinet passed a resolution to replace Epicor based IFMIS with a new one, after the infamous Cash gate scandal, adding that the objective was to develop an IFMIS that is robust, secure and more efficient.
“The new IFMIS (SAP based IFMIS) was rolled out to all Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) from July 1, 2021, having been piloted on 10 votes in 2020-2021 financial year, with five core system modules and functionality,
“The Accountant General’s Department rolled out additional modules, thus Revenue Management, Project Systems, Inventory, Contract Management, and Asset Management modules,” he said.
Kapulula added that the Department implemented and rolled out Commitment Controls through Contract Management modules in IFMIS to enable capturing and commitment of all Government of Malawi’s contracts entered into with various suppliers of goods and services.
“Among the first votes to be piloted on this functionality is the Ministry of Health. The Commitment Control functionality allows Ministry of Finance to release the budget to MDAs through Quarterly Allotments,” he said, adding that the Quarterly Allotments enables MDAs to commit their procurements in IFMIS, entailing the MDAs to obtain goods and services from suppliers with assurance that Treasury will make funds available for payment.
According to the Director, IFMIS provides a platform to commit resources for procurements in the MDAs; ensures no expenditure is done outside the approved budget; and provides assurance to service providers that goods and services supplied to MDAs have resources and budget provided for.
He therefore assured Ministry of Health that the Accountant General’s Department will always be available to support as the ministry use IFMIS in its transactions, and in other training programmes.
The Accountant General’s Department rolled out the Contracts Management functionality to 13 more votes with the rest of the MDAs planned for roll out in the current financial year, 2025/2026
