Minister of health tours proposed site for USD 1bn KUHeS hospital city
The Minister of Health Honorouble Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda toured the proposed site for the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences hospital city in Chileka on Friday 2nd December, 2022. Hon. Chiponda was in the company of Member of Parliament for Blantyre West Constituency, KUHeS’ Vice Chancellor, officials from Blantyre District Council, chiefs from Chileka and some staff and management of KUHeS.
Before the tour, Hon. Chiponda held a meeting with the traditional chiefs from the surrounding villages to appreciate how they anticipated the upcoming development and the progress of preparations for the project.
Chaponda said she was very grateful to the people of Chileka and the chiefs for providing this land for this project which she said was in line with Malawi 2063 development agenda and the Sustainable development goals whose goal number 3 talks about good health and well-being.
“To us as Ministry of Health this is a very exciting project because it comes to solve several health challenges that we had due to lack of proper infrastructure and specialized equipment to do some medical procedures. Consequently, we ended up sending patients to India and other international countries so that they can get the required medical assistance. This is costly. As of today, my office has over 400 people on the waiting list to go outside Malawi for medical attention. The coming in of this hospital city will fix this challenge” said Chiponda.
She went on to say the importance of this hospital city in boosting the country’s economy cannot be overemphasized.
“Malawi will boost its economy through the medical tourism that will be made possible through this hospital. Not only that but also the hospital city will provide job opportunities to several Malawians, so there are a lot of positives that will come out of this facility.” Emphasized Chaponda.
Speaking on behalf of the traditional chiefs, Senior Chief Kuntaja said he was very happy with the development which he said would be one of its kind in Malawi.
“People from this community used to travel to Queen Elizabeth Central hospital to receive medical assistance but the coming of this development is a dream come true to me and the people of this community. However, this hospital is not only a win for the people in this community but also the whole country, continent and the rest of the world” said Kuntaja.
Commenting on land acquisition processes, Senior Chief Kuntaja assured the gathering that everything was in place.
“This land has not only been given to government by me or the chiefs but we have followed the proper procedures through the Blantyre District council office, and everyone that has provided land will be properly compensated hence there is no need for any sort of panic” Assured Kuntaja.
On his part, Vice Chancellor for KUHeS Professor MacPherson Mallewa said the hospital is a game changer. He said the idea of this hospital is to make sure Malawi is able to solve all its complicated medical issues within the country.
“This is a very exciting moment, not only for KUHeS but also the entire nation. The project will start as soon as all the necessary formalities have been made for instance feasibility studies, impact assessment studies and others. The idea is that all the components of the city namely hospital, housing, shopping complex, conference centre, recreational centre, hotel will start at the same time”. He said.
The USD 1 billion hospital which will have satellites in Mangochi, Lilongwe and Mzuzu is expected to be completed by 2027.
