Malawi: Church-owned health institutions meet

Members of the Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) are currently in Mangochi for their annual meeting. Speaking at the opening session this week on Wednesday, the association’s chairman Father Peter Mulomole appealed to the government to pay its 2-year arrears with the association so that Church health institutions could continue to provide much-needed services to the people.

Fr. Mulomole said the services of CHAM in rural areas are being compromised by government’s failure to refund K400 million (Malawian kwacha) the equivalent of close to 700, 000 USD for services rendered.

Fr. Mulomole said the Christian Health Association of Malawi had reached an agreement with the government to let people use its services, such as maternity services for free, especially in places where there are no public hospitals, on the understanding that the government would refund the user-fees to the association.

Malawi’s Minister of Health Peter Kumpalume has assured that the government would refund the money soon.

The minister also said CHAM and the government will sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) before the end of this month (December) so that by the start of next year, poor ordinary Malawians would resume accessing free health services from CHAM hospitals, Malawi’s Nyasa Times reported.

Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) is an association of Church-owned health facilities and training colleges in Malawi. CHAM is co-owned by the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) and the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC).

The associations will turn 50 next year. It was registered on 1 December 1966.

(Nyasatimes of Malawi)

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