By Wendy Mkandawire
The Parliamentary Committee on Health on Thursday held talks with the Judiciary as part of its ongoing probe into widespread drug theft in public health facilities.
Speaking during the meeting, Chairperson for the Committee, Anthony Masamba, said calls are growing to amend the country’s Penal Code to impose harsher penalties on offenders.
Masamba described the meeting as a success, confirming that the Judiciary supports amending the Penal Code to remove the option of cash fines in drug theft cases.
He indicated that replacing fines with mandatory prison sentences is necessary to serve as a warning to would-be offenders.
Masamba warned that ongoing drug theft is directly driving severe shortages in public hospitals across the country.
As a result, patients are frequently turned away and forced to purchase expensive medicines from private pharmacies, leaving those who cannot afford them to suffer, or even lose their lives.
Commenting on the matter, High Court Chief Registrar, Innocent Nedi, acknowledged that the Judiciary is affected by limited resources, which restricts its ability to investigate drug theft cases.
Nedi agreed that legislative change is important, stating that those convicted of stealing public medicines should face direct imprisonment rather than mere fines.
Drug theft remains a critical threat to Malawi’s healthcare sector, leaving public health facilities lacking essential supplies and placing vulnerable patients at risk.w
