Government has expressed concern at reports of abuse and ill-treatment of patients at Kafue district hospital by staff at the health facility resulting in members of the community opting to seek medical treatment elsewhere.
Kafue Member of Parliament Bradford Machila says it is disturbing and annoying to learn that the attitude of some members of staff at the hospital was forcing patients to travel long distances to Lusaka’s University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and Chirundu to seek medical treatment.
Mr. Machila, who is also Lands Minister, registered his concern during the 10th Anniversary and thanks giving prayers for the Kafue district hospital project held at the hospital premises.
Mr. Machila, who was visibly annoyed by the reports of ill-treatment of patients at the hospital, said that people find themselves at hospital not because they want to but due to illnesses.
He said it was important that patients are received properly and with decency instead of the negative reports reaching his office.
He said government will not allow such health facilities to be abused by medical staff on account of negative attitudes towards patients and work.
Mr. Machila further said it was sad that bed linens and blankets at the hospital were allegedly being stolen.
He directed the office of the district commissioner to work with law enforcement agencies so that culprits are brought to book.
Mr. Machila said it was important that the office of the district health management team addresses concerns raised by the community if the hospital is to serve its intended purpose.
He said failure by management to address the negative developments being reported by patients and community will lead to them losing confidence in its medical staff.
Speaking earlier, Kafue District Hospital Development Committee Chairman David Hodgkinson informed the minister that the community in Kafue has started resorting to taking their sick to Chirundu and Lusaka because of alleged ill-treatment of patients at the hospital by staff.
He said the development was unfortunate because Kafue district hospital is one of the few hospitals in the country that boast of sophisticated equipment and a modern theater, and has six doctors.
He said the development was worrying because the relationship between the community and hospital staff is no longer the way it was when the hospital was first commissioned.
Mr. Hodgkinson however thanked the Zambian Government, British high commissioner, JICA, the European Union, the Italian church and its people for making it possible for the hospital to have been constructed.
But Kafue District health management Team Director Dr. Mwila Lembalemba noted that it was unfortunate that these reports have not been reaching his office as they would have been addressed.
He apologized to the community saying his team will sit down together with hospital management to address the concerns the community has about operations at the hospital.
This is all over zambia, clinical officers can leave you in a line and goes away and only comes back when they want esp female COs they feel they are doctors, they can use all words to patients this is sad, pliz suck this management at this hospital there are a danger to patients.
Minister motivate ur workers,motivation starts in schools
Poor funding or misuse of financial resources in training centres is the root cause.People should not go for professional courses just to have a pay at at the end of the day.Love for the profession and this calls for so many things
Being a medical person is suppose to be a calling from god if not you can kill patients despite the training these pipo undergo, They fail to do professinal adjustment. Pipo go for jobs coz there is no other option and not that they really enjoy the job. #3 can you high light us more on how you link poor funding at training centres with bad conduct towards inocent patients??
These medical staff particularly nurses should learn to be happy and take pride when performing their duties. It is not people’s wish to get ill and neither does it remove anything just to show a bit of compassion to someone that is sick. Shame on you for coercing sick people to travel long distances in order to get better treatment.
If you have outstanding differences with your employers, take it up with them and not the patients.
the solution is simple…Fire the fools and dont give them benefits.. period.
If those fools dont enjoy their job , then they should leave and find work elsewhere than mistreating people like they are the government who are not giving them enough salaries
I have just looked at the picture of HH on the post front page online. His teeth are rotten with Chimbwantu and Mabissi. He doesn’t carry any Presidential features. What is he doing in politics for heavens’ sake? You mean he has picked nothing from President Sata who has realized that opposing politics have no future under the MMD machination when capitalism is purging socialism/Communism into its Graveyard? You mean there no smart people to read the language and signed by the MMD? Does he think it’s a joke that free scholarship in Leadership Development,Public policy & International relations are aplenty in the west as it were under JFK? Its all about continuity.
#8 is mabisi and chibwantu the only things which can make someones teeth rotten?
#8 The article here is ill treatment of patients at kafue district hospital not the rubbish you are talking about,if you don’t have anything to contribute concerning this please shut your ass before it contaminates us.Kupusa.
Zambians must not look at the health sector in isolation. The problems of low and poor performance, poor service to citizens, and general aparthy towards Zambians is widespread from the presidency to the ministries. NO ONE really cares for the well-being of the vast majority of Zambians. Just to speak on the miscare in healthy is simply misplaced and just a scratching the surface.
# 80 Do us a favour..QUIT BLOGGING.
Last time a poor Police Officer punched a UTH Nurse for contributory negligence leading to the death of his child, everybody,govt included, demanded a pound of the officer’s flesh and his blood. Now the police man has been vindicated. Govt & hosp management must not waste time to suspend or dismiss erring Nurses who disgrace the good Knightingale profession.Nursing is a vocation and only those with a heart to serve and humility to bear another man’s cross must answer the call. There is no room for Pretenders!Residents must not run away from their hosp;they must identify culprits and help smoke them out.The facility is intended for and at the service of the local community.
Machila,it’s very true and it really is disturbing.Kafue district hospital chaps are very silly!if they don’t wanna work ther ,get other people and they should go.
#13 who told you they are nurses mistreating the patients? all medical personalle can mistreat patients not only nurses, you can find fools, dull, bostfull in each profession, so let the district health office identify the calprits and deal with them, nurses spend 24 hours with the patients, imagine seeing somebodys faeces, menstral flow, blood every day it’s not an easy job. They know your wifes and husbands neckedness so respect them ok.
Their job is hectictic it really needs somebody who has a heart for people, some people have even lost libido coz of seeing your bodies waste materials. Some have even acquired the virus through helping do espect such a person to smile afterwards no?
A patient is a patient, their is no excuse for the ill treatment they disburse. There is need for the health ministry to embark on re-training the health staff on ethical behaviour. These chaps are rude and they need to change.
Most General hospitals are all like that across the country. The best option is to go to private hospitals.there you fine the right attention and care needed.
It is like most nurses dont have the fear of God and are not called for the ministry of healing.
I pray that God comes quickly to redeem as from such untold miseries, especially faced by low income earners
#8, you really have made my day. I hope you’re his mbuya cousin.
There is a strong belief that some mental illnesses are associated with killing somebody(BLOOD), now how do you espect these nurses, clinical officers and doctors to be 100% normal after they have killed 100s of people through professinal negligence just put them in prayers. The concious of killing somebody my friends its difficult to go away with, these pipo you see are keeping secreets, #17 they even know who killed who but due to ethical issues all is burried, euthanasia(nurse or hospital killing) is an every day song but who can inform you??? ethical issues.
As 4 you #18 remember that not all private clinics or hospitals are doing the right thing, some of these guys running private clinics as doctors are just simple clinical officer but just because they registered the clinic in the name of the visiting doctor they are operating and you espect them to cut you with there limited knowledge?? some indian doctors you see are jst there to make money they can even give your patient water for injection if you demand for an injection as long as you pay, so watch out the best is trust you medical staff and support them.
#12 we havent reached number 80 ok you are either dreaming or lost.
There must be a system put in place where everyone who feels mistreated can immediately register teir complaints and not wait for the Minister to respond. Those who are found to have mistreated patients are to be repriomanded publicly so that they learn to respect their fellow human beings. On the other hand, if medical personnel are not paid adequately, they will vent their misgivings on the poor patients., so it the question of the egg and the chicken.
In Germany there were a group of doctors who openly admitted having caused deaths in wrong diagnosis and treatment, some had inflicted sufferings on their patients and went on to connive with insurances not to pay compensation. The Doctors “outed” themselves so that people know that even doctors and nurses do make grave mistakes that even lead to death. Other doctors were not amused, they feared this admission would lead to an avalanche of legal claims.
#20 In some jobs you have to deal with unpleasant realities, doctors and nurses will have to deal with death, natural or caused, in my opinion blood is just what it is.
Off topic people. Why have we got Bupa on a Zambian site? I do not think I would ever see Hilltop Hospital advert on their site for the next 40 years!
Very sad reading it is happening also here ill treatment of the sick.Come to misamfu kasama i tell you guys you wont be happy.One nurse one cleaner.So when the nurse goes for the semminer you remain with the cleanr and check the her abusiful languge YoU will feel extra sad.We have tried to complain nothing has be done good job kafue MP.Not chishimba Mp Kasama central.
Bane, it takes someone who has had a relative mistreated by a health personnel to understand this crap. My son was admited in the UTH and the nurse on duty…beautiful with big eyes left an injection in the hand of my 1 yr boy by then and blood was splashing like they had slaughtered a chicken. she left without any proper hand over. when the nurse who came to take over, she noticed the disaster she was there for my son. all she said was this boy might be paralised… did any1 choose a career for them? (i cant wait to punch one of them when i come to Zambia. Hooligan at it best joke)
#8 I take it you are Lozi, and that is fine coming from a traditional cousin of HHs. Otherwise if we talk of rotten teethm then Sata, Arap Moi to mention a few have no place in politics, but that is besides the point. Ill treatment of patients is as good as beating a disables person and claim that you are a champion, who can find pleasure in mistreating a sick person, and then you guys point a finger at the xenophobic attacks just across the border like it was soemthing strange. People go to this hospitals to make money, forget about service to humanity and this has a lot with what we use as entry examinations for these professions. We have resigned ourselves to looking at grades only…
to the exclusiong of the psyche of these people that are training to be nurses, doctors, clinical officers in short medical personel. Sometimes just assurance that you will be in good hands and that you have been well received is good enough to deal with 33% of disease, by the time your consultations are over and you are administering the first course of prescription 60% of the ailment would have been dealt. But this has been a common problem and the approach to the low salaries in medical profession is the same as that of UNZA students, take it out innocent citizens.
I dont think its true that nurses at KDH mistreat patiens these atre false allegations.Viva nurses I think you are all smashing,God will reward you.