Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) has strongly condemned the continued presence of unlicensed clinicians in the country.

MHEN Executive Director, George Jobe, made the sentiments following the recent deaths of four people in Ntchisi who are feared to have died after being injected by unlicensed medical personnel.

However, the ministry of health was unavailable to comment on the matter.

“We are very saddened by the development in Ntchisi especially as it is happening continuously in the country that medicines from public hospitals are finding their way in the hands of non-medical people,” Jobe said.

He said the development poses a big threat to Malawians.

“We have always been saying that administration of drugs without proper means in wrong hands and place will lead to deaths and this has been shown in this Ntchisi scenario,” Jobe said.

He added that there are a number of unanswered questions regarding the issue.

“Where did this guy get the medicines? And if they are from a public hospital, who released the medicines? We need to crack down the root causes, those working inside the hospitals should also be looked into.”

“Should it happen that these people are helped by the people from the inside then they all deserve stiffer punishments,” Jobe lamented.

Recently, Police in Ntchisi arrested a man on allegations of murder, criminal negligence and operating a mobile clinic without a license.

Some of the unlicensed drugs got expired in 2016.