In a shocking revelation, a syndicate of fraudulent activities has been exposed within the Mzimba South District Health Office, where certain Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) have allegedly been receiving dubious salary arrears since January. Disturbingly, some individuals are pocketing over K1 million each month through this scheme, effectively defrauding the government of significant funds.
Sources close to the matter have reported that human resource officers within the office are deliberately creating these arrears as part of the fraudulent syndicate aimed at exploiting government resources. Both Dr. Prince Chirwa, the director of health and social services at the Mmbelwa District Council, and Rodney Simwaka, the district commissioner, have confirmed the existence of this alarming development. The government has already incurred a loss of K10 million due to this fraudulent activity.
Simwaka, upon discovering the salary arrears issue over the weekend, took immediate action by launching a thorough investigation into the matter. As a result, Boyd Chipeta, an assistant human resource officer at Mzimba District Hospital, has been suspended after admitting to manipulating salary arrears for certain health staff.
Furthermore, insider sources within the council have disclosed that the payroll system is plagued by ghost workers who receive regular payments from the government. The extent of this fraudulent practice is alarming, as the government loses a significant amount of money each month.
The Mzimba South District Health Office’s dubious salary arrears scandal, combined with the presence of ghost workers, has led to a staggering embezzlement of government resources. The authorities are taking this matter seriously and have initiated investigations to uncover the full extent of the fraud.
Such corruption not only depletes public funds but also undermines the efforts to improve healthcare services and support the well-being of citizens. It is crucial that those responsible for this fraudulent activity are held accountable and that effective measures are put in place to prevent future occurrences.
