By Alfred Banda
A public health expert has welcomed the Ministry of Health and Sanitation’s initiative encouraging citizens to report corruption in public health facilities through SMS and WhatsApp, saying the move could help improve accountability and service delivery if properly utilised.
The ministry recently posted on its official Facebook page urging members of the public to report anyone soliciting money in government health facilities through SMS or WhatsApp on 0880 388 677, with messages promoting zero tolerance to corruption and fraud.
Commenting on the development, Adamson Muula, Professor and Head of Public Health and Epidemiology at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, said even a small number of reports could be meaningful in addressing malpractice in the health sector.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA), Muula said: “Some people may report through SMS, WhatsApp and other avenues, and those few that may report will be valuable and can help reduce the malpractice, even if it is a small number reporting.
“But those reporting should ensure that there is enough and proper evidence and not just reporting anyhow; that can also tarnish one’s image, so evidence has to be there,” he said.
Muula emphasised the importance of collective responsibility in making the initiative effective, saying stakeholders, including health workers, the public, media and authorities must work together to ensure accountability mechanisms succeed.
“We need to work as a group to ensure it works effectively,” he said.
Muula also observed that corruption-related challenges are not limited to the health sector alone.
“Today we are talking about the health sector because of some of the evidence on the ground. Next time we will talk about immigration, forestry and many other sectors because this malpractice is everywhere. What is needed is to be serious and serve the public properly every day,” he said.
He added that access to healthcare remains critical, warning that failure to access services can have serious consequences for citizens.
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation has encouraged the public to use the reporting platform to expose corrupt practices as part of broader efforts to improve service delivery in government health facilities.
