ST ANNE’s HOSPITAL IN FINANCIAL CRISIS

Authorities at legendary St Anne’ Mission Hospital in Nkhotakota are facing challenges to run the institution due to lack of finances.

A visit by this reporter to the hospital’s facilities proved the hospital is in crisis as some buildings are very old, pharmacy shelves were almost empty, bed linen in wards were of low quality and inadequate.

Principal Clinical Superintendent for the hospital William Banda confirmed on New Year’s Day they were looking for donors to help them with drugs and other necessities for smooth running of the hospital.

He also echoed the same to Dwangwa Round Table 69 members when they donated various grocery items and gumboots worth K260, 000 to the hospital.
He mentioned that the hospital which has other three health centres of Chididi, Kapiri and Liwaladzi in the same district solely depends on user fees for its operations hence the crisis.

“We are a clinic which operates in communities where its people live below poverty line, therefore we charge a very low fee so that most of them afford our services.

“Moreover, a number of services like voluntary Counseling and Testing, Family Planning and ART services are offered free of charge,” he explained.
He also mentioned that the hospital is forced to release patients earlier than expected because most of the patients cannot manage to settle the hospital bills.

Banda added that the hospital’s pharmacy is usually empty because they fail to procure drugs in time thereby failing to meet their goals and standards of providing adequate and timely treatment to their clients.

The hospital official said the hospital depends much on the district health office which helps them with essential drugs like those of malaria and tuberculosis just to mention a few.

He asked the general public to take part in assisting them through whatever they can afford so that the hospital continues serving the public.

“We usually depended on the church and international donors to help us hence our services were compromised the moment they stopped assisting us,” he said.

Answering on the future of the hospital, Banda said that the issue was being handled by its board members and he could not give any comment on the same.

Banda lauded the tablers saying they are faithful partners to them, “We are an infection prevention team but we do not practice. I am sure the items donated to us by this organisation will not leave us the same.”

Dwangwa Round Table 69 Community Services Officer Mabvuto Silungwe said their organisation focuses on charity hence the donation.

St Anne’s is an Anglican missionary hospital which has survived since its opening in 1902 and serves a population of 365 000 patients. It is one of the only two referral hospitals in Nkhotakota, the other one being Nkhotakota District Hospital.mana