Maravi

Chiluba accuses The Post of tamparing with his medical report

Chiluba accuses The Post of tamparing with his medical report
By Noel Sichalwe
Thursday May 31, 2007 [04:01]

CHILUBA yesterday accused The Post of tampering with his medical records. Reacting to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) ad-hoc committee that recommended that Chiluba could stand trial in private, former Republican president Frederick Chiluba's spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba wondered why The Post was twisting Chiluba's medical records.

"You are publishing and twisting the medical record of Dr Chiluba," Mwamba said. "You are interfering with a report that belongs to the court. It should have been prudent to wait for the report to be made available to court before publishing the findings. This is why we accuse you of having malice against Dr Chiluba. We don't understand where that malice comes from."

Mwamba said the court had demanded the ad-hoc committee report on Chiluba's medical condition and not that it should be given to the Ministry of Health permanent secretary.

"Why it got to the permanent secretary, I don't understand because it is supposed to go to court," he said. "Why do you wish to twist the professional findings? Why do you wish to tamper with Dr Chiluba's medical record? You are now tampering with his medical record. You are disregarding all the rights of Dr Chiluba and that of the court. It's not fair on the part of Dr Chiluba because he needs to be treated fairly."

He said the doctors should be allowed to make independent findings and that Chiluba would not be held at ransom by The Post or any other newspaper. Mwamba said the report should have initially been presented to court. He said Chiluba was a primary person whose rights needed to be protected. He said The Post had once published similar ad-hoc committee findings that were discovered to be contrary to the doctors' recommendations.

The UTH ad-hoc committee of doctors has certified Chiluba fit to stand trial but in private.
According to sources, the doctors examined Chiluba during the five days he was admitted to the UTH after he collapsed on Thursday last week.

The sources said the doctors had recommended that Chiluba could not stand trial but suggested that as an alternative, he could be tried in private. "According to the report, the condition is 50-50. The doctors have recommended that Dr Chiluba is unwell and cannot stand trial at the moment," the sources said. "If he has to stand trial, it has to be in private."

And UTH acting managing director Dr. Peter Mwaba confirmed that the ad-hoc committee had prepared a report, which has since been handed over to the Ministry of Health. Dr Mwaba said a report on Chiluba had been sent to the Ministry of Health permanent secretary, Dr Simon Miti. Chiluba is due to appear in court today where the state would present the doctors' recommendations on whether Chiluba is fit to stand trial or not.

Labels: CHILUBA, THE POST, UTH

posted by MrK @ 3:20 AM