Maravi

Doctors to chart way forward today

Doctors to chart way forward today
Written by Masuzyo Chakwe and Charles Mangwato
Monday, June 15, 2009 3:06:11 PM

RESIDENT doctors will today meet to discuss the way forward on the strike following a meeting they had with Ministry of Health officials yesterday. Resident Doctors Association of Zambia (RDAZ) president Dr Crispin Moyo yesterday said the doctors' representatives had a 'productive meeting' with the health minister Kapembwa Simbao.

"We went through all the issues the doctors are complaining about. And tomorrow we are meeting to discuss with our members because today the meeting was just for the leaders," he said.

Dr Moyo said they were not given anything and would only be able to determine if the doctors would resume work after their meeting tomorrow.

Zambia Medical Association (ZMA) president Dr Maureen Chisembele said the way forward would be known after the leaders meet with the doctors today.

Most health institutions have remained closed following the strike.

And about half of the nurses who undertake night duties at Choma general hospital fall sick after completing their night shifts because of poor working environment.

Submitting to a visiting parliamentary committee on health, community development and social welfare chaired by Chikankanta UPND member of parliament Munji Haabenzu, district director of health Dr Rhoda Mkandawire said 50 per cent of the nurses were usually taken ill after completing their night shifts.

Dr Mkandawire said this was because the hospital wards had no proper ventilation resulting in nurses contracting diseases.

"The rate of sickness of nurses due to poor ventilation is quite high because of suffocation in the wards," she told the committee.

"Even myself as a medical doctor when I am doing rounds, I find it

extremely difficult because I have to come out of the ward for fresh air after seeing five patients and then go back again."

She explained that the institution was never designated as a hospital but a tobacco ban, hence the current unsuitable infrastructural setup, which did not befit a general hospital.

"If you look at the way the wards are arranged, you will see that the facilities were not meant for a hospital. The maternity ward is far away from the theatre and expectant mothers have to be wheeled in the open to the theatre in case of an emergence," she said.

Dr Mkandawire said several inspectors who had visited the institution had condemned the structures.

She said the district required a new hospital but raised concern at a decision to approve funding for a district hospital when the current status of the institution was that of a general hospital.

"Choma is centrally located and carters for surrounding districts and therefore to build a district hospital will be like reversing what we planned to achieved in the vision 2030. We need a new general hospital and not a district hospital because of the growing population and demand for health services," she said.

And also submitting to the committee, hospital acting manager for administration Frederick Katundu said the hospital needed about K 240 million to overhaul the run-down sewer system, which had been posing a major challenge.

Katundu said blockages due to worn out sewer pipe lines was causing serious sanitation challenges at the institution.

"Every so often, our toilets stop functioning because the system is too old and needs replacing," he said.

Katundu said while efforts by government were underway to build a new hospital, there was urgent need for funds to tackle the current sewer problems.

Choma UPND member of parliament George Chazangwe who commended medical personnel for doing their best and sacrificing to work under trying conditions, said a new general hospital must be built.

"Even when you want to build a chicken run, there is a proper way it is organised. This situation at Choma General Hospital where the infrastructure was that of a tobacco ban cannot be allowed to continue.

In Kabwe, a kitchen at Kabwe General Hospital has been gutted by fire.

Hospital executive director Dr Yotam Phiri yesterday confirmed that the kitchen had been completely gutted.

According to sources, fire started in the night but fortunately didn't affect the rest of the hospital.

Sources said one switch for the main cooker was left on after workers knocked off on Saturday and it is believed that was where the fire started.

"You can see that of these six switches on the main cooker, this one was left on for what ever reason and this is where the fire started," the sources said.

According to sources, fire started at about 02:00hrs yesterday and the fire brigade only managed to put if off two hours later because they were ill-equipped and had no water.

The source said this was the second time that the kitchen had been gutted except that yesterday's inferno was too devastating.

"You can see that the entire kitchen unit and equipment is destroyed and we cannot offer any catering services to patients any more. We are just lucky that the hospital is empty owing to the on-going strike otherwise we were going to have a crisis," said the sources.

The source said the fire was a wake up call on the government to act swiftly and reward workers accordingly.

"Who knows maybe somebody did this deliberately; which I strongly suspect. Government should take care of workers if such misdeeds are to be avoided else where," the sources said.

And Dr Phiri said most of the patients had since been evacuated to the mine hospital and only a few were remaining.

Dr Phiri said he was waiting for a report on the cause of the fire.

Labels: CRISPIN MOYO, RDAZ, STRIKE

posted by MrK @ 2:10 PM