Friday, March 29, 2024

Deliveries at health centre being done under candle light due to power outages

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Power outages in mufumbwe district has critically affected operations at the Mufumbwe District Health centre.

District director of health Paul Kambangu said service delivery at the centre has been affected negatively due to no and irregular electricity power supply to the centre.

Mr Kambangu who was speaking during a stakeholders meeting yesterday, said nurses are subjected to conduct deliveries using candles.

He added that other health facilities such as the mortuary are not functional .

Mr. Kambangu said all the services that require laboratory tests and the CD four counts for people living with HIV aids cannot be done due lack of power in the district.

And at least 14 general workers under the Mufumbwe health management team have been retrenched following a government order that all workers not under government pay roll should be retrenched with immediate effect.

District director of health told stakeholders yesterday that the entire district had less than 10 cleaners and other general duty jobs to man 15 rural health centres and the main hospital.

Mr. Kambangu said the retrenchment exercise has serious effects on the delivery of health services in the district.

He said the institution did not have sufficient drivers, cleaners and mortuary attendants.

Mr kambangu has since called on government and stakeholders to come to the rescue of the hospital and clinics in the district.

Meanwhile stakeholders during the meeting agreed to contribute at least K100 000 per month for one year towards cleaning of the hospital.

And the Kikonge community has pledged to support one general worker and care taker at the Kikonge clinic.

District Commissioner confirmed that the local community retained the health worker after government retrenched him.

Mr. Muyutu also confirmed that the money the stakeholders will contribute would be used to pay two general workers to help clean the hospital.

Mr Muyutu thanked the stakeholders for their quick response and urged other people and organisations to come to the aid of the hospital.

The stake holders included contractors, transporters, farmers, marketeers, traders, metal fabricators and millers associations of mufumbwe.

Others were the community based, faith based and non governmental organisations in the district.

ZANIS/NAIS/CS/ENDS

46 COMMENTS

  1. Its okay. They ca go to RSA so why bother about us useless tax payers. Our duty is to make sure the masters have the best care. Oh has anybody seen Engines. Am looking for him for mileading the nation on LT

  2. Even making babies, it is nice under candle light. So what’s the difference? This goes same, even deliveries they should be done under candle light. The babies become candle babies.

  3. As long as the goverment continues spending millions of kwachas on a few sick individuals outside the country,our own heath centres will remain in the same state for many more years to come, UTH inclusive.

  4. CHINA GIVES ZAMBIA K327BN.

    Very nice, but the questions i have for all of you are:

    1. Bushe ninkongole nafuti?
    2.As much as we need the stadiums dont you think this money would have useful if we had to use it in production.
    3.Farewel Parties are they really worth it when the kamushis are eating mango for lunch.

    And please, do ministers have retirement age? Pantu mwandi if they keep on bringing these old chaps back wen will we ever have the chance to save zambia?

    Awe chilankalipa ine.

  5. The govt of RB should do more to enhance people’s lives. Mufumbwe is near the Zambezi river source and sure these people deserve to be on a grid that can be developed with partners(PPP). There is a shortage of power in the southern region and we can take advantage of that by building a power station there and export the surplus to others. Energy minister should work on that please!!!!! MMD Bootlicker advise the Presido.

  6. #19.Baby C. Are you sure about what you are saying?. If the health centres have no power, chances are that even babies are delivered under candlelight.’Mr Kambangu who was speaking during a stakeholders meeting yesterday, said nurses are subjected to conduct deliveries using candles.’ What do you understand by this sentence?

  7. Major Ngoshe, as the name suggests you don’t care. We are paying a lot of money as taxpayers and we cannot get a decent medical care!!!???? We saw Nyama soya ululating at the signing a loan for misplaced priorities. We were told that the stadium to be constructed in Ndola is gift from the Chinese government, but today it has turned into a loan. We improve in the principle areas like the Health system to start thinking about the leisure?:>@>>?>??

  8. Gazzies wishes y’all a happy blogging day as he continues to keep a low profile.
    I am in a “stable condition” grappling with AUDITORS. And now i see why Nine chale gave Jamaco the bloggers manual without follwing (BP)Blog procedure ….. its the flags! Same country .. same country.
    Baby chitechi this calls for stern disciplinary action.

  9. Gazzie says:

    If the law required that everyone should go to a Govt Hospital if its the Govt paying, UTH would be a marvel countrymen.

  10. =d>I would like to agree with #16 with the manner in which you have reasoned on this. Indeed if we looked into how much we spend as a country on sending people to SA and ploughed back that money into improving and maintaining our health sector and economy at large..we would be a country with so much to offer.Until the ncheleko mentality is over and done with we are doomed!

  11. These pipo need a backup plan put in place.Use generators. I hope pipos life are put in danger.

    You Zed Pipo , do you agree?

  12. The rich tummy blotted super cats with Govt., connections are sent to Milpark and Morningside clinics in RSA at tax payers expense. The two clinics make a lot of money on these Zambian Govt., prevaleged referals. You need to be in the inner circles of plunderes to have this facility extended to you.Other wise you are shunting to UTH for a quick departure so that the super rich cats dont get disturbed with their “timely” evacuations by air ambulances.

  13. #15 Nine Chale exactly what I thought.

    But are Zambians bothered? No birth of a child is not as important as that of a certain old man being evacuated to SA.

    We are killing the future. [-(

  14. :((Zambia has an obligation under the Millennium Development Goals programme to reduce maternal mortality rate in 2015 by 75%. With candle light deliveries, I am afraid this will be a pipe dream. However, the MoH can install stand by generators if ZESCO is in love with load shedding to avoid the loss of life.[-(Candle light deliveries should be reserved for #12 Major Ngoshe who likes making candle babies.

  15. “Mr Kambangu who was speaking during a stakeholders meeting yesterday, said nurses are subjected to conduct deliveries using candles.

    He added that other health facilities such as the mortuary are not functional .”

    Sad reading indeed. In the events where electricity supply by ZESCO goes down at such facilities like a health centre/Hospital, redundancy provided by a Diesel Electricity System is supposed to take over while more of it is supposed to be on standby as Battery Power while solar panels systems can be help too.
    On the mortuary, I can only imagine what stench is coming there if electric power isnt working to operate refrigerators if they are there also.

  16. I an’ I fed up wid dem evil system. Bigga judgement yet to come…like Marley say:

    But someone will have to pay for the innocent blood that they shed everyday, it’s what the Bible say.

  17. Awe Bloggers you make me laugh. Your comments are good and how I wish one of you can be a President and the rest ministers. Our country can progress well. Why dont you just team up and overthrow the government. I enjoy your comments. Can you please find ba Chewe. I miss him too.

  18. Wow im worried SICK now man thats why it pays in Zed to take advandge of wateva u have in lyf cuz u wont be treated nicely as a normal citizen WORK HARD be important and fly to MORNING SIDE S.A as sad as it looks its the TRUTH….o:-)

  19. Sad story for Zambians, how ever you are not alone. In Uganda a study to investigate causes of low deliveries in Health centers in Kabarole District.( access this interesting study findings via Google) found out from mothers themselves that. unless electricity is fixed maternity unit, they were going to stop delivering from Health centers because Midwives ask pregnant mothers to go with lanterns full of paraffin and yet most of them never use lanterns at home but use small dry lit sticks (akacence)”

    There is a need for donor agencies who support RH services in developing countries to invest in rural electrification while prioritizing health facilities, only then shall deliveries under skilled attendance increase to the desired level of at least 50 % before 2015.

    Mathias…

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