By Pemphero Malimba:
Some medical personnel under the banner Concerned Optometrists and Optometry Technicians, have written President Lazarus Chakwera, asking him to intervene on issues surrounding the process of promoting medical personnel.
This is contained in a letter dated April 13, 2025 and signed by the group’s representatives Moses Elliam Nkhoma and Samson Juma.
The letter is addressed to Chakwera and copied to Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, Principal Secretary for Health Samson Mndolo, Health Service Commission and Local Government Health Service Commission officials, among others.
The group—whose representatives claim to represent at least 100 personnel operating in district and central hospitals—wants Chakwera to ensure that the Ministry of Health conducts an immediate investigation into the alleged exclusion of optometrists from recent promotion rounds.
It also wants clear and consistent inclusion of the optometry cadre in all future promotional processes.
“We also want the President to ensure that the ministry ensures institutional guarantees against future discriminatory practices in the sector. We believe that 14 days from the date of [writing] this letter is a reasonable period within which to receive a response and a clear course of action from your office or the Ministry of Health,” the letter reads.
The group claims that most of its members had served for about 12 years without being promoted, something they say does not happen to other medical personnel in the ministry.
“Many of us have served for over 12 years, yet remain at the same grade, either Grade I or K, with no clear career progression. Most recently, on 14th January 2025, yet another round of interviews was conducted and, once again, optometry [experts] were not included. It is with deep concern and urgency that we now petition your esteemed office to take immediate action to address this systematic discrimination,” the letter adds.
Mndolo told The Daily Times yesterday that he was yet to receive the letter.
“I haven’t seen the letter yet and once we receive it, we will surely look into their concerns and act accordingly,” Mndolo said.
Commenting on the development, Health rights activist Maziko Matemba said there was a need for the ministry to engage professional associations within the health sector when implementing promotions.
“We want to urge the government and the Health Service Commission to always engage professional associations when they want to recruit and promote people so that there is equity in recruitment and promotion,” Matemba said.
He further challenged the concerned medical personnel to engage the Physicians Assistants Union of Malawi (Paum) on the matter.
“We want to advise optometrists to utilise the existing negotiations which their association PAUM and other professional associations are already having with the government,” he said.
Recently, the Ministry of Health announced walk in interviews for serving health workers who upgraded or acquired relevant qualifications, among others.
The interviews are scheduled for April 23 to 25 this year.
Among other things, health officers who are in lower grades would be promoted while those that are in the same grade would be transferred between posts.
“This is part of the ministry’s commitment to recognise the upgraded officers as well as align their skills to the positions that they hold for enhanced quality health service delivery,” a letter from the ministry, dated April 8, 2025, reads.
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