In a bid to tighten security, Mzuzu Central Hospital has installed CCTV cameras in the hospital’s strategic places.
This comes as there have been concerns over issues of theft of drugs and other medical equipment in Malawi’s public hospitals.
According to a memorandum released on Monday addressed to all staff members, the cameras have been installed at the hospital’s pharmacy main stores, dispensary, outpatient registration area, general stores, kitchen, food store room, corridor and the front area of the hospital.
Confirming the development on Tuesday, Mzuzu hospital public relations officer Blessed Kondowe told radio Islam that the cameras have been installed to ensure security of hospital equipment including drugs as well as its officials.
Kondowe said the plans to install such cameras started long time ago in order to make sure that the hospital’s premises, workers as well as properties including drugs are well secured, as the world is also progressing in the use of technology.
“The decision to install the CCTV cameras did not come today, it started long time ago, as you are aware that technology is advancing and issues of security are becoming sophisticated, we saw the need to embrace the technology and install the cameras”, he said.
When asked on the safeguarding measures, Kondowe stressed that the hospital management has already set up measures to ensure that the cameras are serving its intended purpose as well as well protected from vandalism.
“Every change comes with resistance from people, so as Mzuzu hospital management, we have sensitized all workers the importance of safeguarding the cameras because they are not meant to protect the hospital property only but they will also be protecting the workers, so as a hospital we have everything in place to safeguard them at all cost”, he added.
Reacting to the development Malawi Health Equity network executive director George Jobe commended the hospital for the initiative saying this is a board step towards curbing drug theft.
Jobe said the installation of the cameras at Mzuzu hospital will ensure that drugs are safeguarded hence benefiting more people, therefore asking other hospital managements to emulate the gesture.
“Let me take this opportunity to ask other hospitals to emulate this because; if all hospitals can have the cameras, it means the drugs will not be stolen and at the end of the day, it is people who will benefit from this as the drugs will be available in large quantities as compared to the time the drugs were being stolen”, explained Jobe.
He therefore asked Mzuzu hospital management to ensure that the cameras are well guarded from some evil-minded people who might want to damage them for their own personal gains.
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