Friday, March 29, 2024

Govt takes in a 65 Year old Woman Abandoned at UTH

Share

Government have came to the rescue of a 65 year old woman who had been abandoned at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) by her relatives for four years.

Ms. Matron Nonde who had both legs amputated in November last year has been taken to Cheshire Divine Providence Home in Chawama Compound.

Community development and Social Services Minister , Catherine Namugala said she was compelled to assist Nonde after learning that she has been abandoned by relatives

The Minister appealed to Zambians to show love and care towards their loved ones when misfortunes such as Nonde’s befall them.

Ms. Namungala said it is inhuman and not African to abandon a relative when they are injured.

She said everybody is vulnerable to disability and stressed that people should not neglect there relatives at such a time.

The Minister thanked hospital authorities for looking after Matron for so many years and urged them to continue in their quest to provide quality health care.

And UTH Public Relations Manager, Pauline Mbangweta said Matron can only lie in bed as sitting for a long time proves to be a challenge for her.

She explained that the nature of her injuries make it difficult for other authorities to look after her hence her prolonged stay in UTH.

Ms. Mbangweta said that two years ago Matron’s relatives were identified but they only visited her once after which they never went back to the hospital.

And Matron thanked government for taking her to the home and she expressed gratitude to UTH for looking after her all these years…

26 COMMENTS

  1. There is completely no need to thank Government for taking up the old lady, its their responsibility which they should even be ashamed of not having been carrying out. Where have they been all these years. It is only this country that has no agenda whatsoever for senior citizen. It is not the relatives’ responsibility as this unlearned minister wants to put it. Cmon do your job properly. There are many more senoir sitizens suffering out there. Dont just grow tummies idling in your high back chairs of your office. Work.

  2. I agree with #one, its long overdue the Salvation Army in Ndola had one, not sure if still there. The government can do the same

  3. I feel we should also work on our traditional beliefs esp about witchcraft, despite the level of education we still have pipo with tatoes around their waists esp for some women in order to be sweet as they claim and running around with pots of boiling roots as treatment. I think this poor old woman was being accused of practicing witchcraft, as old age down in our villages is strongly associated with evil doing or night riding.

  4. Some families are poor and can’t afford to look after their elderly folks,since the gvmt is the one responsible for the sufering due to it bad allocation of the country’s wealthy! Its time for our gvt to have proper social security schemes! Our retired seneior citizen can’t aford to leave on their current low poorly paid pension money til their death!
    Its the gvt’s dutie to take care of its citizen! family have only marol obligations to take care of their folks,while the gvt is obligated to do so.

  5. this is my theory, maybe this woman was a very bad person when she had money with her husband and now the money has finished and so she wants to turn to her relatives and they say get the f***k out of here, so thats the situation here, so women out there be nice to everyone bcoz u never know when yo turn is and another thing is that zed is just experiencing then fact movement of the so called globalization in a third world country

  6. Sad, but thats why the govt should introduce a pension plan for people when they get old.This in turn will create nursing homes for those people who are abadoned by there relatives.Dont blame the relatives ,its very expensive and hard to take care of sombody who can only be sleeping 24/7.The pension benefits will help these people to pay for there survival and relatives will be relieved of the burden of careing for somebody in crazy situations.Its govt job to take care of this person.

  7. witchcraft bane, this woman eat alot of inocent people and taking her back home causes a danger to the local community. Honestly who can run away from their mother without evil doings, so you old folks out there reduce on your withcraft other wise you will be burried alive watchout.

  8. old peoples homes in zambia will take years to come due to poor planning, mismanagement of funds, tribalism, nepotism and corruption by our political leaders leading to poor economic status of the country. The govt introduced free medical servises in rural areas but if you analyse it properly its not free coz when you go to the clinic you are told to but a book printed by ministry of health book printers,if you dont buy you are send back on the grounds that they dont have stationary to write on if you dont have a book.

  9. old people have alot of complications due to tear and wear of the tissues e.g hypertension leading to heart problems, diabetis leading to neuropathies,poor vision,multiple ulcers which i feel needs alot of man power. Presently the families are helping alot in caring for the aged coz the govt can’t even employ enough medical personalle to man our clinics esp in rural areas, what about if they introduce these homes kaya? copy what is affortable from the developed countries and leave the imposibilities, lets stick to our culture and social norms .

  10. Its an fortunate that the old lady can be treated like that.But what is the problem my be the relatives could not afford to look after her .GOD HELP US

  11. #10 Mind your language, ukukula takukalipa. One day you be like us so long as you dont skip taking those drugs.

  12. U lozi boy who told u that she a muloyi u dont knw that sme pipo a selfish mayb that innocent woman has no child en those stupid relatives abandoned her coz of the same

  13. Why do pefectly “normal” educated modern people still believe any “old person” is a witch? C’mon people, we are not going anyway if we get stuck in the middle-ages where burning of witches was practiced in Europe, they have moved away from this practice and are propering by integrating the “old” folks in wealth-generating ventures, so much so that they even have homes for destitute “oldies”

  14. “Community development and Social Services Minister , Catherine Namugala said she was compelled to assist Nonde after learning that she has been abandoned by relatives”.

    This sentence or paragraph exposes the ignorance of catherine as a minister. Equally, it exposes the inedequacies of our grz. So, she was just compelled? I thought she is obliged as a grz minister? Instead of wasting time discussing vernacular languages in parliament, welfare facilities such as living allowance accommodation, mobility, for senior citizens, etc, should take center stage. In Botswana, anyone 65 (if not mistaken with the age) or above gets paid by the gvt. SA does look after the old in a similar manner. In..

  15. …adition to that SA goes further than that by financilly helping unemployed single parents, too. Namibia should also have a similar social welfare facility in place. its a pitty that catherine was compelled to or felt that she helped our mother. Unless she took her to her own home we could have understood her help. Catherine, be advised that you never helped her. Its infact the tax payers’ money being used. You are obliged to performing your duties which include in this case informing the zambian grz to quickly come up with living wages for our vulnerable citizen such as the lady the people of zambia helped thru you.

  16. Thank you all for the comments. We are a christian nation, no matter the past for our dear mother, love does not keep record of wrong, evil is rewarded with good. Lets accept our mother in her present state and preach love to one another and suggest better ways of addressing the current and future situations. Much love to all of you.

  17. Our African traditions replimands family members who fail to take care of relatives. Our laws should reflect our traditional values! Direct children to any ailing person should be made legally responsible for their parents. Home for the old has never been an issue of discussion because of our sound traditions, now comes urbanisation and abandoning of traditional values we start talking of govt taking care of the old!The old need the noise of grandchildren and love of their own children! As for the abandoned elderly woman , I want to think that its her medical condition which makes it difficult for her to be nursed by family members! But they should stil visit her, they r all fools!

  18. Even in the rich US there are still many people that have been abandoned. Luckily they get the check from the gov. Those of us that work for diaper dot com know best.

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading