Maravi

Sata thanks Levy

Sata thanks Levy
By Amos Malupenga, Speedwell Mupuchi and Chibaula Silwamba
Tuesday April 29, 2008 [04:00]

Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday thanked President Levy Mwanawasa and the government for quickly evacuating him to South Africa for specialist treatment. Speaking through his wife Dr Christine Kaseba, Sata said he was grateful to President Mwanawasa, the Ministry of Health and all those who were involved in ensuring his quick evacuation following his heart attack last Friday.

Sata’s remarks came in the wake of PF vice-president Dr Guy Scott’s statement that he would refund the government all the money that would be spent on his specialist treatment at Johannesburg’s Mill Park Hospital where he is admitted.

Dr Kaseba said Dr Scott’s statement did not reflect or represent the views and feelings of Sata’s family on the matter.

“It’s unfortunate that serious illness is being politicised and trivialised,” Dr Kaseba said in a telephone interview from Johannesburg.

“The family had not made any statement on the matter because it was too early and also it was difficult to say anything looking at the way things happened. Yes, Mr. Sata may today be out of danger.

He has made good progress since he came but there is still a problem.

They have to look at what caused the problem. The blood vessel that was blocked by the blood clots was unblocked because Mr. Sata was evacuated in good time.

If we had taken long, the only option available was to do open heart surgery because those clots could have become more solid. But because we arrived early, the open-heart surgery was avoided.

I am saying this as a doctor because I know what is involved.
“So I can only say that as a family we are grateful to President Mwanawasa and the government for their quick response which saved Mr Sata’s life.

Mr Sata himself says he is very grateful to President Mwanawasa and all those involved in his quick evacuation. He has appealed to his colleagues not to issue statements regarding his health. Let them leave this to appropriate authorities.”
Dr Kaseba appealed to people not to politicise Sata’s illness because life was more precious than politics.

“Today it is Mr Sata but tomorrow it can be anyone else. So let us remove politics from issues of health,” she said. “And speaking on my own behalf, I would like to thank all the people in Zambia who have shown concern and have been praying for Mr Sata.

This has been a source of strength. I would also like to thank the Zambian doctors who earlier did the diagnosis which was later confirmed in South Africa.

I felt proud that our doctors are able to do this because it is not easy to do it as early as they did and recommended appropriate action to be taken. This is because such cases are not common.

So I thank our doctors and wish them well in their continued work.”

And Dr Scott yesterday said he would respect Sata’s family position on the matter.

And former Republican vice-president Pastor Nevers Mumba yesterday said Sata did not have to refund the government for his medical treatment in South Africa because he was not the first one to receive such help.

“He is a former minister and now a formidable presidential candidate who has served this nation for more than 30 years. He deserves to be helped by government in time of his greatest need,” Pastor Mumba said.

He said what was relieving was that Sata was out of danger.
“It remains for all of us interested in ‘human faced’ politics to thank government and in particular the President for the speed they employed in ensuring that president Sata’s life is saved,” Pastor Mumba said.

“We encourage leaders from both the MMD and the PF to desist from politicising this very noble and responsible action by government.”

Pastor Mumba said while all agreed on the need to aggressively work on equipping hospitals for the benefit of every Zambian, he did not think the right time to discuss such prospect was when someone was at the verge of losing his or her life.

“What we are commending is the political will exercised in opening the airport at midnight, recall all necessary staff, hire an air ambulance within hours and have president Sata flown out without a passport at 01:30 hours,” Pastor Mumba said.

He said it would be childish for anyone to call such action political opportunism by government as it was not known that Sata would fall ill and would need such services.

Pastor Mumba said life was sacred and when one’s life was threatened, whether it was that of an opposition president, minister or any ordinary Zambian, the immediate response was to use available resources to save the life.

Pastor Mumba said Zambia was not the only country depending on other nations for specific medical procedures.

He said some Americans, despite their country having the most complicated healthcare system in the world, do fly out to Mexico, India and Canada where they could get affordable and good healthcare.

“Even with an improved healthcare system in Zambia, many Zambians will still need to go for specialised treatment in other countries,” he said.

“We should be mature and be grateful that one of our key political leader’s life has been saved.”

He said if government did not do what it did, and God forbid that something drastic happened to Sata, there would have been instability, accusing government of being irresponsible and careless.

Labels: MWANAWASA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 8:18 AM