By Bertha Chirwa
Malawi Civil Society Led Black Economic Empowerment Movement (MaBLEM) Taskforce has tipped government through the ministry of health to consider prioritizing health facility boreholes and only award contracts with a focus on rehabilitation of already existing boreholes and new projects where need be.
This is contained in a letter by the organization on 11 May, 2022 and addressed to head of procurement at the ministry of health, copied to head of global fund Malawi office, director of public procurement, parliamentary committee on health and the attorney general.
According to Malawi Black Economic Empowerment Movement MaBLEM, the Ministry of health seek to award contract to various contractors to drill and construct 250 boreholes in various health facilities.
It is alleged that the ministry of health will use about over a billion for the project which the organization believes is not worth it.
The organization argues that since 2002 there have been a number of boreholes drilled by numerous organizations of which some of them stopped working and they believe it is better to focus on rehabilitating them and only embark on new projects at health facilities where necessary to save money.
” We are convinced that government or the ministry will not spend any amount if those boreholes are restored to life.Should the allocated health facilities not have an old borehole then our view is that the new project can be targeted at drilling a new one. We are hundred percent certain that if this initiative can be undertaken, we may end up drilling less than 50 boreholesfrom the earmarked 240 thereby saving huge sums of money”. It says.
The organization has further suggested the need to engage District assemblies, members of parliament and Constituency development committees on the matter.
“Our view is that the saved resources should be allocated to urgent health needs of each earmarked health facility while others support the Borehole initiatives as above.We will be most delighted if this appeal is considered as a matter of urgency and that all award processes be suspended or out rightly cancelled’. It adds.