MALAWI: Archbishop Msusa Urges Government to Rescind a Decision on CHAM Employment
Archbishop Msusa at graduation ceremony
Luke Bisani
Archbishop Thomas Luke Msusa of the Archdiocese of Blantyre has urged the Malawi government to remove the ban that is restraining Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) hospitals from employing health personnel.
Speaking during the graduation of 72 students who graduated with diplomas in nursing and midwifery technician at Holy Family College of Health Sciences in Phalombe on Saturday, Archbishop Msusa said that instead, the government must consider employing more personnel in CHAM hospital as a way of achieving quality health delivery.
“Since 2019, some doctors have died and others have retired. For instance, here at Holy Family Hospital, we only have one doctor despite health workers graduating on a yearly basis,” said Archbishop Msusa.
He added that health personnel in CHAM hospitals have huge workloads due to the government’s decision to stop the association from recruiting new staff.
The Malawi government, through the Department of Human Resource Management and Development (DHRMD), migrated CHAM staff members to be on government payroll as a way of ensuring the affordability of fees charged in CHAM hospitals for many Malawians.
Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the government advised CHAM not to replace any staff member who has exited the CHAM facilities through retirement, firing, or resignation.
Co-owned by the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) and the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC), CHAM has provided healthcare services and trained healthcare professionals in Malawi for more than half a century.
