Some health centres in Nkhata Bay have suspended provision of services due to a power crisis arising from a K57 million debt which the district hospital owes the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom).
The Daily Times understands the debt dates back to 2009 and was accumulated in unpaid electricity bills before the introduction of prepaid meters.
Due to reduced funding levels, Nkhata Bay District Health Office (DHO) has failed to settle the bills with the utility body, forcing Escom to start deducting the money from the power charges allocated to some of the health centres.
In an interview on Monday, Nkhata Bay DHO spokesperson, Christopher Singini, identified Kande and Chintheche health centres as the worst affected.
He faulted Escom for reaching at the decision before liaising with the DHO, contending it is unfair for health centres to be punished for sins committed by the mother-facility.
“We were shocked with the rate at which the health centres were consuming their allocated prepaid electricity units, only to discover after following up with the Escom’s Mzuzu office that the satellite facilities are servicing the district hospital’s bill without our knowledge,” Singini said.
Due to the development, Singini said Chintheche and Kande have most of the times been in blackout, which has compromised several medical services which are reliant on electricity.
He added that it has become difficult to offer maternity services and perform deliveries in the dark since a majority of babies are born at night.
“Chintheche has an operating theatre which has also been affected, child immunisation services have also stalled because our officers are failing to maintain the temperatures for the vaccines which are eventually rendered useless,” he said.
He asked Escom to sympathise with the innocent Malawians who rely on the targeted health centres and are now suffering for a debt they know nothing about.
Chairperson for the health advisory committee at Chintheche, Phillip Phiri, echoed Singini’s sentiments, saying: “A football team was involved in a road accident, but the players couldn’t be assisted because the theatre was closed after the hospital had been in the dark for four days! We need a solution to this.”
Escom Communications Manager, Kitty Chingota, however, said before migrating to the prepaid system, customers with outstanding bills were notified in advance that such deductions would be effected on their accounts should they not settle the bills in time.
“If they think there is an anomaly let them go to Escom,” Chingota said.
Asked on the repayment plan that the hospital has for the debt, Singini said the Local Government Finance Committee has shown commitment to come to their rescue.
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