From corruption to the 'mark of the beast' – why countries like Malawi are struggling against Covid | Madalitso Wills Kateta

With 80% of pandemic funds misused and widespread vaccine myths, citizens have had to step up where government has failed

In January 2021, the Malawian rights activist Paul Msoma wrote that he was in Kamuzu central hospital, struggling to breathe. The hospital had oxygen cylinders but no flowmeters - the necessary instrument to connect him to them. I was left wondering where the funds that had been released for the country's Covid-19 response were going. My situation is getting bad and l desperately need oxygen," Msoma wrote on Facebook. Anyone who can urgently help out there please help by donating this very gadget."

Kamuzu central hospital is one of the biggest referral hospitals in Malawi and it did not seem right for such a big hospital not to have oxygen flowmeters, which are very basic medical equipment costing around 18 a piece. This was at a time when the government had released more than 5.6m for the Covid-19 response effort.

Madalitso Wills Kateta is a freelance journalist based in Lilongwe, Malawi