A group of unemployed health workers is demanding that the government cancel the planned July 1, 2025, deployment of newly recruited health personnel, citing serious hiring irregularities, including the employment of individuals without required qualifications or licenses.
In an interview, one of the group leaders, Chisomo Ndaladi, said they previously raised alarm in a letter sent to the Ministry of Health on May 13, warning that some of those hired lacked certification from regulatory bodies such as the Nurses and Midwives Council and the Medical Council of Malawi. Despite reassurances that only licensed and qualified professionals would be considered, the group claims that irregularities have persisted.
“We were assured that only qualified people would be hired, but now we are seeing names of individuals who don’t even have licenses. How can you put people’s lives in the hands of those who haven’t been certified?” said Ndaladi.
The health workers are calling on the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Local Government, and the Local Government Health Service Commission to urgently address what they describe as grave injustices before any new hires report for duty.
“We ask the government (Ministry of Health, Local Government, Local Government Health Service Commission) to call off its directive saying people should start on the 1st July 2025 until they correct all these grave irregularities,” she added.
Ulemu Daza another frustrated health worker, said they also question the government’s claim that it would employ over 6,700 health personnel this year, arguing that only 2,241 individuals have been taken on so far, of whom nearly 65 percent were already employed and simply promoted, while a small percentage are recruits, and roughly 10 percent reportedly lack necessary academic or professional qualifications.
“This is not mass recruitment, it’s mass promotion,” said Daza. “The government is saying one thing to the public and doing the opposite behind closed doors.”
They warn that the current process contradicts the government’s pledge to tackle youth unemployment and revamp the public health system. Instead, they say, it has sidelined thousands of trained professionals who remain jobless.
The group is urging the Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate the recruitment process, referencing an earlier warning the agency issued on April 30 against public sector malpractice. They have also called on professional bodies, including the Nurses and Midwives Council and the Medical Council of Malawi, to explain how unqualified individuals were cleared to work in hospitals.
The group says it is organising a press briefing in the coming days where it will publicly outline its concerns and announce possible actions it may take if the government fails to respond to their demands.
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