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Operations at Coopperbelt hospitals, clinics ground to a halt

Operations at Coopperbelt hospitals, clinics ground to a halt
Written by Mutuna Chanda, Mwila Chansa in Kitwe and Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Thursday, June 04, 2009 11:42:08 PM

OPERATIONS in most clinics in Kitwe and Ndola on the Copperbelt Province have ground to a halt following the strike by health workers. And Kitwe Central Hospital chaplain Reverend Kabwe Chikolwa has said the government should come to its senses and offer the striking health workers their demands.

During a check on Thursday, some clinics were completely closed while others were only attending to emergency cases with many patients being turned away. Ndeke Clinic in Kitwe and Kawama Clinic in Ndola were completely closed.

At Buchi clinic in Kitwe, patients were being turned away, piling pressure on Kitwe Central Hospital which was being manned by a few student nurses and doctors.

Kawama clinic in Kitwe and Chipulukusu clinic in Ndola were only attending to emergencies.

Kitwe Central Hospital had closed Machili and Lunsemfwa wards for children.

The children in Machili ward were taken to Lukusushi female ward while those in Lunsemfwa were integrated with those in Luntembwe children's ward.

And Rev Chikolwa described the situation as sad.

"The government should sit down and offer them what they need," Rev Chikolwa said. "Other than bickering while people are dying and people are being sent away because there is no one to attend to them. In such a situation government must at all costs come up with a solution."

Rev Chikolwa wondered why the government could spend money on unnecessary things such as hearses when they had neglected priority areas such as providing proper medical and health care.

The health workers on the Copperbelt have been on strike for over a week now. The workers are demanding an increment in housing allowance and salaries.

Labels: COPPERBELT PROVINCE, HEALTHCARE, STRIKE

posted by MrK @ 10:46 PM