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Remove self-denial, accept there’s a crisis – Nawakwi

Remove self-denial, accept there’s a crisis – Nawakwi
By Patson Chilemba
Thu 08 Apr. 2010, 04:02 CAT

FDD president Edith Nawakwi yesterday asked those in government to remove self-denial and accept that there is a crisis in the health sector.

Commenting on the front page picture in last Tuesday’s edition of The Post where a Kalulushi resident Zacks Chizyuka was being carried to a minibus after he failed to access an ambulance after being referred to Kitwe Central Hospital on Friday, Nawakwi said those in government should now be exposed to graphic evidence of the reality on the ground because they viewed her advice as insults.

“The situation on the ground is that people are suffering. The point to admit is that there is a health crisis, which really all concerned must accept that there is a problem, and then we discus how we sort out this problem. Of course, it can’t be sorted out overnight, but I think what upsets citizens is the denial that this issue is not existing,” Nawakwi said.

“I mean as you are talking to me, I am not my usual self. Yesterday I came across a young lady of about 19 years, and she is due to deliver in one of the clinics, and I asked her ‘what did they tell you the bucket is for’? They told her ‘it is for disposal of waste’. The government is insisting that these buckets are used for showering, which truly is not the case.”

Nawakwi said since those in leadership were not interested in the truth, they should continue to think that things were well.

“There is a day of judgment certainly to come, and it’s the Zambian people who are suffering who will render another verdict. So when we point out some of these things, it is not out of malice. It is out of reality. In fact this lady is delivering next week at one of the clinics I won’t mention. I have organised a TV crew to film these buckets, and also we will get this bucket and take it to the appropriate authority who are denying,” Nawakwi said.

“Because maybe they want to have a graphic eyesight of what is obtaining. We will take it there. I am very saddened because this girl is young, they asked her for a bottle of jik. I asked her ‘what is this bottle of jik going to be used for’? She said because at this particular clinic there is no linen, so she has to go with a chitenge and a plastic. And then they asked her for a plastic bag for disposal of waste.”

Nawakwi said the government should own up and come to terms with reality.

“What will he President Rupiah Banda say if I put this girl in the vehicle and say ‘let’s go and see the President’? What will he say? It is as sad for him as it is for this girl,” Nawakwi said.

“These are moral issues, and unfortunately moral issues boggle the mind, these are real issues. We are saying ‘please, these are critical issues which must be given express attention’.”

Nawakwi said men should keep quiet over issues like maternal health because they were least qualified over the matter.

“Carrying people on wheelbarrows, this has been going on for years, but at what point do we say to ourselves ‘we are moving towards a new society’? And part of the problem is this self denial of people not accepting,” Nawakwi said.

“What was the purpose of the indaba last year? They said ‘let’s communicate’, but how do you communicate with them when the government papers don’t report on these issues?”

On the threat by home affairs minister Lameck Mangani to reinstate the Carlington maize scandal in which she was implicated, Nawakwi said she excused some ministers because they had never served in public office.

“They don’t know how to handle issues. He probably hasn’t seen how the Carlington file looks like. It is just from hearsay,” said Nawakwi.

Labels: EDITH NAWAKWI, HEALTHCARE, ZACKS CHIZYUKA

posted by MrK @ 3:00 PM