Rupiah’s mobile hospitals

Rupiah’s mobile hospitals
Written by Editor

When Hakainde Hichilema recently suggested that Rupiah Banda wants to have a cut from the purchase of mobile hospitals from China at a cost of US $53 million, the government protested and called him all sorts of names.

On Friday, Rupiah’s government through finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane announced that they will go ahead and pay for the mobile hospitals if evaluation reports indicate that the facilities will benefit and add value to the Zambian society. There is no doubt, therefore, that with or without a positive report on the issue, Rupiah will go ahead and pay for the mobile hospitals because this is his project.

Why should this government insist on acquiring mobile hospitals when this idea has been roundly condemned? In whose interest will Rupiah proceed to acquire these mobile hospitals?

The Medical Association of Zambia, who are supposed to be direct beneficiaries of these mobile hospitals, have dismissed the idea as an exhibition of lack of priorities on the part of the government. These medical practitioners have instead suggested that the government improves the current infrastructure and equip them with drugs and the necessary skilled manpower. They have clearly said that mobile hospitals are not the solution to the current challenges and problems in the Zambian health sector.

It is an open secret that apart from the permanent secretary Dr Vilepi Mtonga and probably one or two of her close allies in these unpatriotic adventures, technocrats from the Ministry of Health are not in support of these mobile hospitals. The civil society has expressed the same sentiments. The international donor community is also against the idea of these mobile hospitals as much as the common man.

So when Rupiah insists on paying for the mobile hospitals, whose interests will he be serving? Why should Rupiah be so enthusiastic about borrowing US $53 million from China to finance the purchase of irrelevant mobile hospitals when the health sector is almost collapsing following aid freeze from international donors who have not been impressed by his bad governance?

Will anyone be wrong to conclude that there must be something for Rupiah in this deal for him to insist on its conclusion? So far, it is only Rupiah and a few hired praise singers who have approved the mobile hospital project as a damn good idea.

And why should Musokotwane claim that they are waiting for a report from technocrats when the whole country knows the position of these technocrats on the matter, that the technocrats have trashed the idea? This is indeed a government made simple.

That is why it will be difficult for Rupiah to inspire donor confidence because he has ably demonstrated his true characteristics; that he, together with his followers, are only interested in fattening their pockets at the expense of Zambians. Rupiah and his followers have no capacity to do anything in a straightforward manner.

And Rupiah is now panicking by pretending to be fighting corruption in the Ministry of Health just to hoodwink the donors who are demanding accountability with their resources. We hope the donors will see through Rupiah’s smokescreen, that he does not mean his pronouncements. His deeds are far apart from his words. He is merely in an awkward situation so he wants to do something he thinks will endear him to the donors.

However, we are confident that Rupiah will not succeed in misleading anyone. If he is serious about fighting corruption, he would not have tolerated Dora Siliya’s activities, including those involving some of his children. Even when Dora was found guilty of breaking the supreme law of the land by a tribunal, Rupiah failed to take action against her. Instead, he went on a path to victimise those officials in the government who exposed Dora’s dubious activities. Some of them have since been fired from their jobs while others are yet to lose them. Is this a man who can be trusted to wage a fight against corruption on behalf of Zambians?

We know that there are still many corrupt elements in government who are being shielded by Rupiah because they are towing the line. That’s how Rupiah operates. The few civil servants who have been sacrificed must be on the opposite side. Those who are with him are well protected, including from the Ministry of Health.

So Rupiah can cheat others that he is fighting corruption. As for us, we have known for a long time that Rupiah can’t fight corruption. Asking Rupiah to fight corruption is like trying to put out a fire using fire.

Rupiah is very tolerant of corrupt elements. That is why he can’t surround himself with principled men and women. He wants to surround himself with gullible people, those who are not analytical, those who can’t question his shoddy dealings. Those who question his activities and dealings have no place in his government.

That’s why even some ministers or officials in government who seemed to have some brains during Levy Mwanawasa’s reign are today behaving like people who have borrowed someone’s legs so they can’t walk as they please, except to follow instructions from the owner of the legs. How can our people expect such a leadership to steer the country out of its political, economic and social problems? We are expecting too much from Rupiah. And it’s time our people started preparing for a deeper recession. We are headed nowhere with Rupiah.