LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi’s medical professionals are up in arms over President Arthur Peter Mutharika’s executive order restricting their right to engage in private practice.
The order, which bans public sector healthcare workers from owning or holding interests in private clinics and pharmacies, has sparked outrage among medics who argue that it infringes on their economic rights.
The Human Resource for Health Coalition, which represents various medical professional bodies, has vowed to seek an injunction stopping the implementation of the order.
“We feel the approach in the second directive banning private practice is wrong,” said coalition chairperson Solomon Chomba. “We have agreed to take legal action because the decision infringes on our economic rights.”
Chomba argued that the private sector provides about 40% of medical care services in the country, thereby reducing distances between health facilities to meet World Health Organization recommendations.
He warned that if the order is enforced, some medical workers would prefer to resign rather than close their private clinics or pharmacies.
“We are working on it so that we obtain an injunction as soon as possible,” Chomba said. “It is an emergency.”
The Malawi Medical Council has also expressed concerns about the order, arguing that it could lead to a brain drain in the public health sector.
“Stopping them from having private clinics is subjecting them to abandon public facilities for private reasons,” said Dr. Victor Mithi, president of the Society of Medical Doctors.
Mithi pointed out that Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe may have only two neurosurgeons who operate on tumors free of charge, and that stopping them from having private clinics could lead to a loss of expertise in the public sector.
The Non-Medical Personnel Association has also criticized the order, saying that it is unfair to single out healthcare workers while other public officials with private business interests are not subject to similar restrictions.
The executive order was issued in response to a joint investigative journalism report that exposed malpractice in public hospitals, including soliciting payments for free services.
However, many are questioning the timing and motivation behind the order, with some accusing the president’s advisors of having ulterior motives.
The Health Rights and Education Program has argued that the country’s current healthcare system challenges stem from the 2003 human resources for health emergency, and that the temporary measure allowing public health workers to operate private clinics and pharmacies was introduced to tackle the brain drain affecting the country.
As the standoff continues, it remains to be seen how the government will respond to the medics’ demands. One thing is certain, however: the healthcare sector in Malawi will be watching closely to see how this drama unfolds.
