Maravi

ZMA makes submission to NCC over President’s medical files

ZMA makes submission to NCC over President’s medical files
By Florence Bupe
Tue 03 Aug. 2010, 04:00 CAT

THE Zambia Medical Association (ZMA) has submitted that the National Constitution should facilitate the review of the Republican President’s medical files at the request of Parliament.

And the association has submitted that the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) should provide for the criminal prosecution of people who willfully infect others with HIV.

In their submission to the NCC last week on Thursday by ZMA president Dr Maureen Chisembele and secretary general Dr Robert Zulu, the association stated that the president’s health matters should be handled by Zambian medical personnel, unless there is none available.

“The care of the president shall be by a team of three specialist doctors of the rank of consultant. It shall be preferred that the doctors taking care of the president be Zambian citizens unless none are available. The chairman of this team, who will also be the chief physician to the president, shall be a doctor in the employment of the armed forces,” the ZMA stated.

“The people of Zambia have a right to enquire about the health of the president. The physician to the president may issue a public report on the general health of the president if this is requested by Parliament.”

The association further submitted that the health care of the president must in all circumstances be at a military hospital within Zambia.

“The care of the president outside the country shall only take place after the endorsement by a board of independent specialist doctors recommended by the professional body of doctors such as the Zambia Medical Association. The purpose of this is to improve the Zambian health services and to ensure at all times the security of the president,” stated the association.

And ZMA observed that the willful infection of another person with HIV was an infringement on the right to life and should be categorised as a criminal offence.

“In keeping with the right to life principle in the context of the high HIV prevalence in Zambia, currently at 14.3 per cent, it shall be deemed an infringement of the right to life for an HIV infected individual to infect another person,” they stated.

The association defined willful infection as an act whereby a person or persons knowingly, without the assent of a partner proceed to commit an act directly leading to the transmission of HIV to that partner by sexual or other means.

Labels: MAUREEN CHISEMBELE, NCC, PRESIDENCY, ZMA

posted by MrK @ 3:56 AM