By Iommie Chiwalo

While welcoming the idea to hold national prayers for healing the country, Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has said that prayers without tangible actions will take the nation nowhere.

In a statement signed by CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa, President Chakwera, an Evangelical Preacher himself, has been reminded that God helps those that help themselves first.

“So calling for prayers alone is not enough. There is urgent need for tangible
action if the cholera epidemic and, indeed, the country’s worsening economic situation are to be taken care of, once and for all,” he said.

Namiwa believes that besides praying for the healing of the many social and political ills, Malawi needs prayers to heal the cholera epidemic which has so far claimed 410 lives, and has unprecedentedly affected all the country’s 28
districts.

While acknowledging the power of prayers, Namiwa has strongly condemned government for allowing this situation to reach the current alarming levels which he points out that is as a result of negligence.

“We believe this particular epidemic, which has claimed more lives than before in a dry season, is a result of sheer negligence by President Chakwera’s
Tonse Alliance administration and, in particular, the Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda,” he said.

As it stands, millions of Malawians are at risk of death because government has been reactive instead of being proactive by providing health facilities with cholera kits
comprising chlorine, canular, disinfectants, gumboots, tap buckets,
examination gloves and face masks and resources they need to keep this
disease, which is comparatively claiming more lives than Covid -19 at bay.

“Losing as many as 21 lives to cholera in a couple of days is unheard of in this
country and only government can explain why in this time and age cholera should be such a menace. What is more disturbing is that as the death toll to the epidemic increases nationwide, government still seems clueless at its approach to contain the disease,” Namiwa says.

The concerns by CDEDI Executive Director are manifested in the current shortage of cholera medicines and medical supplies in public health facilities.

Thus far, Namiwa has observed that the shortage of cholera kits is also putting at risk lives of frontliners dealing with the outbreak at the health facilities.

“Regrettably, our investigations have found no sign supporting President Chakwera’s earlier pronouncement that government had set aside K20 billion to fight the cholera epidemic otherwise availability of that money, and its proper use would have improved the situation on the ground,” he said.

CDEDI as a human rights advocate organisation is particularly concerned that much as cholera is a water-borne disease, the current epidemic has been exacerbated by the general shortage of food in the
country, as people are eating anything available to survive.

“And, it is our considered view that unless something tangible is done, in the rainy season which is just setting in, this epidemic is going to claim more lives.
Hence, it is against this background that we demand from the President the immediate removal of Minister of Health for allowing so cholera to claim the hundreds of lives, so far, under her watch,” he said.

According to Namiwa, the decision to fire Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda is coming on the heels of the
many flaws that characterised the country’s fight against Covid-19, which also took its toll on the population.

He said the precedence should be a clear measure of the Tonse Alliance’s
failure to manage health crises.

CDEDI has since implored Parliamentary Committee on Health to ensure that the money promised by the President that it was readily available to fight the epidemic, should be properly accounted for.

“In so doing, the committee should also ensure that government sets up a
specific fund to contain the cholera outbreaks that needlessly claim lives and that the Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST) should ensure adequate stocks of cholera kits,” Namiwa suggests.

Namiwa has lamented that pointers are clear that President Chakwera in his own wisdom saw it wise to reduce the budgetary allocation to the Water and Sanitation Ministry and increase his State Residences Vote, probably to cater for his unquenched appetite for local and international travels.

Meanwhile CDEDI urges players in the health sector to advocate for increased funding to the health sector since it is an open secret that apart from shortage of forex, central hospitals, district hospitals and their satellite health facilities have been heavily constrained financially due to, among other things, failure by government to meet the Abuja Declaration which urges governments to commit 15 percent of the total national budget to the health sector.

“That said, CDEDI maintains the call for an emergency stakeholders’ meeting to deliberate on the collapsing health system in the country,” he said.

Malawians have since been warned to come to terms with the reality that there is more suffering ahead if the President does not have their welfare at heart.

“That said, we at CDEDI feel duty-bound to urge all Malawians that during this
Christmas festive season, we should be our brother’s keeper by encouraging one
another to stick to high hygiene standards all the time to curb further spread of cholera and, better still, sharing supplies that will ensure provision of safe
drinking water. Furthermore, in the spirit of Christmas, let us share food with the needy. Our suffering is real,”

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