A group of health workers at Rev. John Chilembwe Hospital in Phalombe today marched to deliver a letter of concern to the District Commissioner over rising threats and violence at the facility. Staff say they are terrified after a colleague was beaten and killed at night, and several others report repeated thefts and intimidation. Early on Tuesday the district commissioner, Douglas Moffat, held talks with hospital leaders as anger and fear spread among nurses and support staff. Many have told us they are prepared to walk more than ten kilometres to hand their complaint to the council offices because they feel they have no other safe way to be heard.
Colleagues say the person who was murdered was suspected of supporting the MCP because he came from Dowa — and they ask, plainly and angrily, whether someone can be killed for their politics or for the district they come from. The attack has exposed a deeper fear: that political intolerance and lawless behaviour by party hardliners and street thugs now threaten ordinary lives. Hospital staff demand better protection from the police and from local leaders. They say they will not return to work until they are confident their safety is guaranteed.
This is not just a hospital problem — it is a test of state authority and of basic decency. If health workers cannot do their jobs without fear of being attacked, public services will suffer and communities will pay the price. Authorities must investigate the murder quickly, arrest those responsible and make clear that violence in the name of politics will not be tolerated. The people of Phalombe seek one simple thing: to live and work in safety, whatever their party or where they come from.
