Sata negotiates his way into ICU to see Mwanakatwe

Sata negotiates his way into ICU to see Mwanakatwe
Written by Ernest Chanda
Sunday, May 17, 2009 3:06:19 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata was yesterday denied entry to John Mwanakatwe's hospital room at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the University Teaching Hospital (UTH). Sata, who was accompanied by Chimwemwe member of parliament Willie Nsanda, arrived at the ICU at about 11:24 hours.

Upon reaching the entrance to the ICU, he found a paper on the door with the words "No visitors for Mr Mwanakatwe - by order."

However, he negotiated his way into the ICU and found some junior health workers in the company of a tall doctor who was only identified as having hailed from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Sata inquired from the doctors and his team why they were making so much noise in the ICU.

The doctor remained mute on the question and maintained that he had issued the instructions to stop anyone from seeing Mwanakatwe purely on medical grounds.

"Mr Mwanakatwe suffered a stroke and his condition does not warrant me to allow anyone to see him. This is not an instruction from the family members sir, but I'm doing this as a professional measure," said the doctor.

But before he could leave, Sata advised the doctor to have a human heart and consider other people's feelings.

"You before you became a doctor, you were a human being like me. And your becoming a doctor does not stop you from having human feelings. JMM [John Mupanga Mwanakatwe] is a part of my family and I wanted to see his condition. In any case I will obey your order and I'm leaving."

Sata later left for late former Bank of Zambia governor Francis Nkhoma's house of mourning in Kabulonga where he met with other leaders, including Chasefu FDD member of parliament Chifumu Banda and parliamentary committee deputy chairperson Mkhondo Lungu.

And family spokesperson Dr Francis Manda said the late Nkhoma was a man of humility and had respect for others.

"Francis Nkhoma was a very humble man with a passion for education. He dedicated his time to reading and this helped him achieve the goals he had set. He was not like most of the leaders I see today who spend their time in bars. He was a visionary who every young Zambian should emulate," said Dr Manda.

Nkhoma died of prostate cancer in Lusaka last Friday.