One on one with Maravi Post (Extract) Maravipost Editor: We know that MCP is in opposition as you are Shadow Minister-Health. What has the current Minister done that you agree with and what would you do differently to promote the health of the Nation? My response: As I have said before, we are just seven months into this term. Therefore to measure a specific minister’s success or failure during this little span of time would be unfair unless they really messed up big time. Having said that, what I can say is that, this far, as an individual, Hon. Dr Jean Kalirani is holding the fort and the ship has not yet sunk, although it is sailing in troubled waters. Going forward however, I expect her to deliver something tangible with respect to ensuring that the Health Sector offers robust and well-supported services in the Preventive, Promotive, Curative and Rehabilitative processes. I am particularly shadowing her on four overdue initiatives. The first one is how she will ensure that at the curative level, Malawians begin to enjoy satisfactory diagnostic services, have adequate medicines and are attended to by qualified and well-motivated staff for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in all major health centres. This has been a chronic challenge. The second initiative is the question of hospital autonomy. Unless institutions currently under the Ministry of Health are weaned off and are managed autonomously, there will never be “enough” money for the sector, not to say effectuality. The third initiative, closely linked to the first two, is the jigsaw of Recapitalization and optimization of the Central Medical Supplies Trust (CMST). On this one, while the Executive is content to move at a snail’s pace, gains are being eroded; and people out there are dying for lack of medicines. How the Honourable Minister oversees the evolution of the CMST into a trust that economically serves Malawi and saves Malawian lives, is yet another yardstick with which her tenure as Minister of Health will be measured. The final initiative is health care financing. Under her leadership, the sector had a summit, opened by the President, to discuss Health Financing. I am yet to see the fruits of that summit with respect to the political will to drive the attendant policy reform, legislation and operationalization. I am therefore keenly waiting for Hon. Dr Kalirani to walk the talk. READ MORE on the link below: maravipost/201412317851/Society/exclusive-juliana-lunguzis-mp-one-on-one-interview-with-maravipost.html
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 11:29:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015