From corruption to the 'mark of the beast' - why countries like Malawi are struggling against Covid
Source: The Guardian
From corruption to the mark of the beast why countries like Malawi are struggling against Covid
With 80% of pandemic funds misused and widespread vaccine myths, citizens have had to step up where government has failed
Madalitso Wills Kateta
Thu 6 Jan 2022 10.00 GMT
In January 2021, the Malawian rights activist Paul Msoma wrote that he was in Kamuzu central hospital, struggling to breathe. The hospital had oxygen cylinders but no flowmeters the necessary instrument to connect him to them. I was left wondering where the funds that had been released for the countrys Covid-19 response were going. My situation is getting bad and l desperately need oxygen, Msoma wrote on Facebook. Anyone who can urgently help out there please help by donating this very gadget.
Kamuzu central hospital is one of the biggest referral hospitals in Malawi and it did not seem right for such a big hospital not to have oxygen flowmeters, which are very basic medical equipment costing around £18 a piece. This was at a time when the government had released more than £5.6m for the Covid-19 response effort.
Tragically, Msoma died a few days later. His call for help opened a can of worms and caused many to realise that these funds were being abused. Influential Malawians organised a citizen-led Covid-19 response and the government was brought to its senses, opening an inquiry into Covid-19 spending.
An eventual report by the countrys office of the ombudsman following Nsomas comments indicated that 79.8% of the funds were misused, including money spent on non-Covid items like allowances for government officers. A later audit by the countrys auditor general confirmed the extensive abuse.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/06/malawi-fight-covid-government-corruption-vaccination