Malawi Faces Shortage of Drugs
Posted on | July 28, 2009
Lilongwe, Malawi… As one of the poorest countries in the world Malawi is almost always short of the basic elements of life; food, electricity, transportation, good water, medicines and medical supplies to name just a few.
A recent report from the Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) states the public hospitals are so short of essential drugs that an estimated one million Malawians are at risk of dying. Heath Minister Moses Chirambo confirms the shortage, but is unable to confirm the exact number of Malawians at risk. While 40% of the deaths of children come from malaria the nation is critically short of malaria medicine. Additionally, MHEN reports a nation wide shortage of Zinc used in the treatment of diarrhea, water borne illness that is also a major killer of children in this tiny sub-Saharan nation.
