Sai Medical Mutharika said the plans, likely to draw a public wrath, was hatched to address the current drug shortages which he said started with donors’ decision to withdraw aid from Malawi.

“We have no medicines in hospitals. We are trying to bring private sector into hospital management and we hope it will work” Mutharika told BBC Hard Talk.

The president did not clarify how putting hospitals in private hands motivated by profit will improve accessibility of medical services.

Malawi24 reported earlier this week that some public hospitals in rural areas exorbitantly charging patients over K25 thousand.