Maravi

Govt has neglected the health sector

Govt has neglected the health sector
By Ernest Chanda in Lusaka and Misheck Wangwe in Kitwe
Fri 01 Oct. 2010, 04:01 CAT

NON-GOVERNMENTAL Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) executive director Engwase Mwale has charged that the government is not paying attention to issues of health in the country. And some patients have complained that they are being turned away in most government hospitals on account of inadequate manpower.

Meanwhile, Health Workers Union of Zambia (HWUZ) general secretary Lewis Mukosha has said the ongoing salary negotiations for doctors between the Zambia Medical Association (ZMA) and government are illegal.

Commenting on the on-going countrywide strike by resident doctors which started on Monday, Mwale called for seriousness in dealing with the matter.

She said it was unacceptable that the nation could experience another strike in the health sector barely a year after another one by nurses.

"The on-going strike by resident doctors is very unfortunate considering the many challenges we face as a nation in the health sector. Last year we had a strike by nurses which the government took long to address and a lot of lives were lost," Mwale said.

"Barely a year on, we are treated to another strike, this time by doctors. As NGOCC we are questioning the seriousness of the government to deal with issues of human life. We feel that our government is not paying particular attention to the health sector. There is need to overhaul the whole system because we know that the ones on the receiving end are women and children who have to take over the burden of care."

When reminded that chief government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha had accused the doctors of being used by opposition political parties, Engwase dismissed the statement as cheap politicking. She urged Shikapwasha to be more serious and treat the matter with urgency.

"You know this is a matter that deals with people's lives. And for a chief government spokesperson to trivialise it and blame it on the opposition, that's not being serious. Our doctors are not so foolish that they can allow themselves to be used by politicians. We all know the conditions they go through, and when they demand better conditions, we shouldn't trivialise that," said Mwale.

"We think that the government should look at this issue from a holistic point of view. It is grossly unfair that the majority of our children are made to suffer at the hands of corrupt officers at the Ministry of Health. Those resources these corrupt elements abuse in our health sector should be given to the doctors and nurses."

And some patients spoken to at the University Teaching Hospital who chose to remain anonymous urged the government to resolve the doctors' plight quickly before things got worse.

"I was referred to UTH from Chipata clinic but here I have been told that there are no doctors to attend to me. When I presented my referral letter, I was told to go back because there are no doctors to attend to me. This is bad, I'm asking the government to look into this and resolve it quickly," said the patient.

And Mukosha, in an interview, said it would be difficult for resident doctors in the country to be given a better deal because government was being insincere by negotiating with associations who don’t have legal mandates to bargain on behalf of doctors. He said according to Cap 269 of the laws of Zambia, only a trade union could negotiate on behalf of the workers.

Mukosha said while his union appreciated the grievances of resident doctors who were currently on strike, it would have been imperative for them to use the union which had the legal mandate to negotiate on their behalf.

“We don’t see these negotiations being fruitful because from the onset, the law has been flouted. Associations have never bargained for salary increments because they don’t have the legal mandate. The labour laws of this country have only allowed the unions to bargain on behalf of the workers and government knows this. We expect the resident doctors to do the right thing because they are being deceived,” Mukosha said.

He said it was sad that government was not treating the strike by resident doctors with the urgency and seriousness it deserved. He said his union had asked the resident doctors to allow it to negotiate on their behalf because of the legal implications involved in the matter but their calls had been futile.

Mukosha said HWUZ hoped that government would be sincere to the doctors and do right things before the situation got out of hand in the health sector. He said the lives of many people were at risk because of the strike action by resident doctors.

Labels: ENGWASE MWALE, HEALTHCARE, HWUZ, NGOCC

posted by MrK @ 6:24 AM