(1.5 minutes read)
· Severe shortage of anaesthetic drug lidocaine
· Malawi’s health system faces immense challenges, from lack of equipment to a severe shortage of qualified staff.
· The anaesthetic AMR in Malawi is 6–100 times higher than in developed countries
There is enormous suffering, as women in labour room lack the most vital supply of anaesthetics in Malawi. Especially the most common anaesthetic drug Lidocaine Hydrochloride. Lidocaine is in severe shortage; this is an anaesthetic injected on any part of the body when somebody has to have surgery. It is very important when one does the procedure, the person feels comfortable and doesn’t feel pain. Last year most of the Malawi district hospitals were closed their operating theatre due to a severe shortage of anaesthetic and other drugs and medications. This time the shortage has been going on for the past two months. We do not understand why there is a shortage, there are challenges with the shipment of the medicines. Ministry of Health had a meeting with the Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST), which buys and supplies drugs to all public hospitals and the ministry is sure that the drug is in place and within a week the hospitals should be able to get the fresh supply of lidocaine.
Malawi’s health system faces immense challenges, from lack of equipment to a severe shortage of qualified staff. Poor working conditions, including low salaries, have led to health workers seeking better-paid jobs outside the country or with non-governmental organisations. People, including pregnant women, have to travel long distances to reach their nearest clinic or hospital. New private clinics have sprung up across Malawi, profiting from the shortages by catering to those who can afford their prices.
The anaesthetic AMR in Malawi is 6–100 times higher than in developed countries such as France, USA, or UK. To reduce this very high anaesthetic AMR in Malawi further developing aid programmes should concentrate on training courses for the anaesthetists and setting up blood donation programmes.
