Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Eugene

(61,593 posts)
Sat Jan 8, 2022, 01:28 PM Jan 2022

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 country’s 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 country’s office of the ombudsman following Nsoma’s 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 country’s auditor general confirmed the extensive abuse.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/06/malawi-fight-covid-government-corruption-vaccination

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Foreign Affairs»From corruption to the 'm...