Journalists Urged to Spotlight Hospital Ombudsman Offices in Malawi
The briefing comes amid concerns over Malawi's persistently high maternal mortality rate and the need to improve public health education to address bottlenecks in accessing quality care.
MPONELA, Malawi- Media practitioners in Malawi's central region are being encouraged to produce more stories raising awareness about the existence of hospital ombudsman offices found in all public health facilities across the country, writes Abraham Bisayi.
The call came on Saturday during a briefing for journalists on various disease outbreaks Malawi has been experiencing, including pink eye, cholera and a measles-rubella outbreak in Neno district.
"We realized that most people do not know about the presence of hospital ombudsman and how this office works in as far as improving health access to communities is concerned," said Adrian Chikumbe, media and public relations officer at the Ministry of Health.
Chikumbe urged reporters to focus on compiling stories that can help the public understand where they can lodge complaints if they feel their health rights have been infringed upon.
"Let us focus much on compiling stories that can help people understand where they can complain once they feel their health rights have been infringed," he said at the event held in Mponela.
Hospital ombudsman offices serve as grievance redress mechanisms for patients and communities to report issues around accessing quality healthcare services. However, many Malawians remain unaware of their existence and role.
Alvin Chidonthi Phiri, the ministry's senior health promotions officer for public health emergencies communication, provided updates on various disease outbreaks, including cholera, pink eye and measles-rubella cases reported in Neno.
Topson Chiphiko, a journalist from Kasungu Community Radio, welcomed the briefing, saying such engagements help media practitioners produce factual, accurate and evidence-based health stories.
"I urge the ministry to continue engaging the media so that communities can stay updated about health outbreaks being registered in the country," Chiphiko said.
Other journalists emphasized the need for more consistent interactions between health authorities and the media to increase public awareness on issues like the role of hospital ombudsmen in holding facilities accountable.
The briefing comes amid concerns over Malawi's persistently high maternal mortality rate and the need to improve public health education to address bottlenecks in accessing quality care.