Africa-Press – Malawi. Thousands of job seekers yesterday thronged the Great Hall at the University of Malawi in Zomba to try their luck to be employed as Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs).
Reminiscent of the crowds that gathered at the College of Medicine three years ago for the same role, by 7:30 am yesterday, the premises around the Great Hall were already teeming with candidates.
Some of them had travelled from Phalombe to get themselves a chance at the interviews. One of them told The Sunday Times: “I have come all the way from Phalombe to get a chance of securing a job in the government.
“I arrived at around 7am. We thought we would get a chance of being interviewed by 9am but to no avail.”
At 11 am, the interviews were yet to start. Minister of Health, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, said the ministry seeks to recruit as many HSAs as possible.
“We are recruiting gradually. We want more personnel to boost the health system in the country. Some of them will be working in the health centres in the rural areas. That will help us have strong rural community health system,” she said.
Kandodo Chiponda also said the recruitment process is going in phases because it is dependent on donor funding. “A number of organisations are contributing their resources towards the same. So we are having a recruitment process that is being done based on the availability of resources,” she said.
HSAs are the bedrock of community health in Malawi. In their capacity as grass roots health care providers, they spearhead provision of community essential health services such as vaccination and following up on those on anti-retroviral therapy.
They operate in environments in which community-based interventions are often implemented. According to the ministry, community health activities have contributed to historical improvements in Malawi’s health outcomes, especially for women and children, such as the decline in child mortality and malaria fatality rates.
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