Malawi’s donors meet over drugs crisis

Malawi’s bilateral donors are holding talks in the Capital, Lilongwe aimed at finding a lasting solution to the country’s ailing medical sector.

Health authorities have announced the Central Medical Stores Trusts has run out 95 percent of drugs, a development that has left thousands of patients’ lives at risk.

Some of the countries and organizations in the donor community include Norway, United States, Britain, United States of America and the United Nations.

They want to engage the Joyce Banda administration on how best they could help find a way forward on the crisis.

Doctors and administrators gave President Joyce Banda a blunt message that Malawi’s health sector is very sick and it needs an emergency operation on her arrival from abroad on Monday.

According to Norwegian Ambassador to Malawi Asbjorn Eid-hammer, once they are through with the talks he is hopeful that some donors will come in to provide a lasting solution.

“As donors we are really concerned about this situation, and we are right now in the process of discussing this with other partners and the government in order to find solutions to the problems as fast as possible,” said Eid-hammer.

The ambassador expressed optimism that more donors are likely to come in, but he could not commit himself as to how much will be provided.

“Some donors are likely to come in, I do not know at the moment who they really are sharing responsibilities between us in this situation, but where the funding is available it’s normally what we go for,” said Eid-hammer.

Meanwhile, Britain has already announced it would provide US$23 million (about K8 billion) for the buying of emergency drugs, according to President Banda.