THE Zambia Medical Association (ZMA) has urged politicians to desist from politicising personal health matters.
ZMA secretary general Robert Zulu said this in response to a press query in Lusaka yesterday.
He said ZMA considers individual medical issues as a serious matter which should not be politicised or discussed in public.
Dr Zulu said individuals have rights to confidentiality in health matters and that this should be respected.
“We do not advise matters of health to be used for political mileage as this is an area which is above politics,” he said.
Dr Zulu also discouraged the media and ordinary individuals from discussing individual medical cases whether they involve politicians or otherwise.
[pullquote]ZMA was reacting to Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata’s statement in which he challenged Vice-President George Kunda to go with him for medical tests at an independent hospital or clinic and thereafter disclose their respective results or ailments to the public.[/pullquote]
He also discouraged people forcing others to divulge medical conditions to the public as this infringes individual rights of confidentiality.
Dr Zulu said ZMA expects politicians to discuss issues which will reduce maternal mortality, infant mortality and those aimed at improving health delivery in far to reach areas.
He said people would like to listen to issue-based debates on reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and improvement of conditions of service for medical personnel.
ZMA was reacting to Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata’s statement in which he challenged Vice-President George Kunda to go with him for medical tests at an independent hospital or clinic and thereafter disclose their respective results or ailments to the public.
On Sunday, a clergyman said PF leader Michael Sata should be the last person to politicise the recent health check Vice-President George Kunda underwent in South Africa because he has allegedly more serious health complications himself.
And some civil society organisations have advised Zambians not to take a gamble and vote for Mr Sata in the upcoming presidential elections because of his alleged questionable health status.
The civil society and the church have roundly condemned the debate as inhuman.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Its only personal if Out Of Pocket Expenses are paid using personal funds..
If medicals are settled using tax payers monies then its of public interest.
Tell them ! Our politicians are just too much into washing of their dirty linen in public.:-?
RB had a knee problem last year, what caused that? (10 Marks) Only Degree holders should attempt.
A.Dora
B.Arthritis
C.Old Age
D.Fight with Thandiwe
E.Non of the above
Ok what is happening is utter nonsense!However,its ungratrful George Nkunda who started it:o:o:o
RB had a knee problem last year, what caused that? (10 Marks) Only Medical Doctors should attempt
A. Dora
B. Arthritis
C. Old Age
D. Fight with Thandiwe
E. Non of the above
Thank you!!
Hope you douche bags in both govt and opposition are taking notes…cut the the crap.we are tired of your nonsense.
If you want to insist on talking about who is suffering from what and so forth,do it in private please.Focus your energies on making our hospitals better an providing good medical services to the the average Zambian.
As long as tax payers monies is used for their check-up and abroad for that matter then it concerns us, we have to know that which they are suffering from so that we know whether they are liabilities to our country. A lot of money is being used on those government officials on medical expenses and on their hotel bills in South Africa, its just too much. Since UTH is one of the best hospital in southern african as our government claim, please let us whole use UTH unless its out personal pocket then we shall not ask what they suffering from, but as long as they are using the tax I pay, then I need to Know!
Our government should be ashamed for visiting South African hospitals, morningside hospital in particular like they going to a toilet.
It is even sad to read how proud our leaders are of visiting South African hospitals were they pay huge amounts of money which could help improve the status of our hospitals in Zambia. Hundreds of people die because of the poor health standards while these so called leaders are so quick to rush down south even for a simple review wasting the tax payers money and they are so foolish to even proudly say I was living in the hotel and not at the hospital. They must work at improving the health sector so many lives could be saved not only themselves. Zambia has the potential to have good and well equipped hospitals just like south Africa, but the stupid politicians are not focused and have no ideas how to bring about such development into the country hence they waste time talking nonsense.
Improve UTH, Ndola Central Hospital and all other large referal hospitals so that all Zambians will benefit.Why are you rushing yourselves to foriegn countries when you have lamentably failed to improve on your own health facilities back home?Please politicians,feel some shame at least!
Bauze mwandi, this is total nosence, discussing medical issues in public.
Who can sponsor a dependant,Child or even house servant without knowing the sickness.We pay for George Kunda and he must avail us the cause of his sickness so we can make an informed decision.
leaders’ health status is of public concern. high office or any public office require a certain level of fitness and healthy to withstand the pressure of the job and be able to make good decisions. it is also necessary for the continued welbeing of the person. recently our past republican president died in office (MHSRIP). he knowingly went into office with failing health and against wise advice and the country was exposed to danger and his family lost a father.the tax payer footed the bill. all that should be avoided. where as we dont need to publicise personnal illnesses the leaders on the other hand should not seek office or step down if sick. instead they stay on not to serve but in pursuit of a state funeral. this is fraud. tetamashimba shamelessly tated this in his will.
Good instructions MAZ though directed to unethical narcissist who believes stigmatization of opponents he believes have visited healthcare centers is a winning option. Suffice to say I cannot believe Sata’s narcissistic mind in a democracy. His megalomaniac has all elements of a dangerous person with some psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of, power, or omnipotence seeking to be feared by patients rather than loved. To his type belong many lunatics and most of those that die as whimpers of history because democracy keeps denying them the risk to misrule its institutions.
Winning politics is about realizing a voter conversion rate in the arena. But following Sata’s myopia brings to the fore the challenges at hand for PF and indeed the PACT unless a mature rationalist is found to lead them, it’s a circus to nowhere. With his careless talk Sata has lost it flat at local and international level. His is immaturity, xenophobia, and unethical hyperboles devoid of foresight.
A million dollar question is what then is the PF policy on HIV Aids, the people with it and his institutional position on the international-UN convention on HIV aids fight? Should all HIV carriers in the country start seeing themselves out of national opportunities, leadership and hope but as victims of Sata’s exterminating crusade God forbid in the PF administration? Should they start seeing Sata a clear and present danger to their right to life?
Here it is Sata wants them all relegated to Graveyards and have no place in society. The last time the world saw this abomination was in Uganda under then tyrannical orders of Dada Idi Amin who believed all sick people had no right to life. Here we are some 45 years after independence Sata with his confusion is brazenly totting with stigmatization and exclusionary leadership against the sick despite himself being a patient of many terminal diseases. Even as a mere dreaming titular party opposition misleading man armed with baseless unrealizable dreams of seeing Zambians treasonously risk their united and peaceful country with a narcissist, Sata has the audacity to go against the basic rights of citizens and the UN Charter on life. What a circus of
What is Sata telling those with HIV, the international community, anti aids institutions, activists and those working on the campaign ever vulnerable to contraction? Sata’s pro-Queer society overdrive has proved beyond doubt that under his administration God forbid, all HIV patients would be exterminated and claim no place in society.
How does Sata sale this stigmatization, xenophobia and immaturity of his on the ground where many have lost their beloved ones, are orphans, widows, widowers and are carriers breeding internally ever asking God why this mystery that has befallen them?
How does Sata rally the support of these millions when instead of giving them hope as a leader, he is callously delivering stigmatization, exclusion, hatred and character assassination? We are talking of millions of human beings to whom the world with care is vesting in billions of its US Dollars. Sorry I find Mr. Sata too retarded to be in Nkwazi office as Zambia’s CEO.
Let’s see the Zambia Medical Assocition take a swipe at the Timez of Zambia publication of 11/05/10.
There is no truth in what the Times of Zambia wrote, those are are hallucinations with no truth in it. If there was even abit of truth in it, Sata would have been cooked. How many diseases did GK, RB, Chiluba or Mulongoti had last year. They all survive because of Immune boosters. There’s a saying that “HE WHO GOD WANTS TO DESTROY FIRST MAKES THEM MAD”, that’s exactly what’s happening to GK. He is gone and just start champaiging in Muchinji
Mrs. Nyama Soya is right and Dr. Robert Zulu wrong. George Kunda goes to South Africa on taxpayer’s money which should normally be spread out evenly on the health of every Zambian needing medical care in all our powerly funded national hospitals.
Why can’t Kunda pay for himself and keep his medical records screte. Dr. Zulu, Keep medical ethics out of this political game. We all respect medical ethics but not the way Rupiah and George play the ball game.
Ichipuba fye pama bloggers ni ba Senior Citizen
On ““We do not advise matters of health to be used for political mileage as this is an area which is above politics,” he[Dr Robert Zulu] said… On Sunday, a clergyman said PF leader Michael Sata should be the last person to politicise the recent health check Vice-President George Kunda underwent in South Africa because he has allegedly more serious health complications himself” why is it that it is an Easterner who has this to say especially when we have an Easterner as President of Zambia? On the contrary to the Dr’s words, I believe the Health of Politicians must be known to the electorate so that they do not put an incapacitated person as Head of State or President of Zambia following the recommendations in our 1996 Constitution of Zambia that call for Cabinet to act…
I hope Minister and Vice President George Kunda will bear this Health Talk that he has brought to the media through his reckless outbursts on the good intentions by Mr Sata and the private media for all the blame on Mr Kunda’s health issues is cast on Mr President RB Banda’s failing Administration to do any simple task.
Have a blessed day all and I wish Mr Vice-President George Kunda recovery from his serious illnesses.
_
Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
Senior Citizen #19 and #20 just shut up! we know u feed yo family by writing nonses all the time! take yo f.u.k.i.n.g b.a.l.l.s to hell! u,r such a shameless human being! u fool! useless chap! m.b.o.l.o yako!
Senior Citizen Veteran aka BK
Are you implying that George Kunda is HIV positive? i dont think Sata stigmatized Kunda in any way,he only wanted to be told the truth about the status of the VP,since shikapwasha had no idea of the where abouts of his boss only to be told by Siliya that he is recuperating in a hotel room after undergoing a review for 2 weeks
@15 Winning politics is about realizing a voter conversion rate in the arena,,,God knows what or who you are yet to convert
Politics of saving zambia better,
No wonder MMD chaps are having a field day on you chaps because you are intellectually defeated. You say SC m.b.o.l.o yake! If i may ask does your father carry m.b.o.l.o which he used to get your mother p.h.a.t you out? Is your mother a l-e-s-b-i-a-n that she didn’t have to use the same m.b.o.l.o? Take SC with brain power and counter him with dignity if you have to carry the battle or else quit LT for your own PF blog.
This smear campaign is totally unnecessary. The govt should have shown more tact and integrity by not responding to insinuations concerning the health status of its top employees. It’s clear that leaders are spoiled children. “Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps his mouth shut!” On this, bane, our govt is losing points very quickly. Let’s continue to pray for God’s intervention – that we get wise, discreet leaders who will put the country first – no prima donas, please. I know that we can’t have perfect leaders, but it’s possible to get someone who does not have diarrhea-mouth.
oops… meant to say “it’s clear that OUR leaders are behaving like spoiled children” :)>- deuces, bane
Ba #27, no intellectual content in your argument. Just stay away from the blogg, instead of exposing the level of your education.
Whoever discuses a coullegues illness in public is suffering from Human Brain Deficiency.Sirs where is your human conscience? Is it because you like by-elections for your sponsors to fund your dirty political games? Shame a pone you fathers.
One thing i must forewarn PF cadres not making personal progress but wasting their time in hope that one day Zambia will have an error of the Sata’s Presidency. Be advised in uncategorical non criptic languange that Sata will never be president of Zambia even over his dead body. As long as we have democratic elections and the rule of law Sata will never have step on executive powers of this country. Even at the worst form of perpetuated violence he can dream of his only places of dreams will be opposition position or calvary. Cut this and put it on your blogging computers and vindicate us in 2012.
These politicians we have have expired and we need young people to be involved in politics. They have nothing to offer the country but tearing down one another. Now its medical records. I wonder what will be next on their agendas to hang on to power.
In today’s Post, the MMD’s chief A.S.S. licker, mulongoti clearly and openly admits that the MMD concealed the commission of a crime and failed to report it to the police for investigation and possible prosecution. Speaking about Kavindele, Mulongoti is reported to have said: “…Kavindele should have been in jail had the party secretariat taken the bounced cheque to the police in line with the law”. Lawyers out there; Isn’t there a law against this sort of thing? Or is this just another confirmation that there is no law in Zambia that those in power cannot circumvent to suit their own ends?
What has become of our country & what has become of our journalists,all the papers including blogs have sickening stories on a daily basis,surely don’t we have important matters to discuss in Zambia,no no no,am really worried !
I agree this is as cheap as politics can get, completely useless. Nyama soya @ 1 and red card, ones health status is private, no matter who is paying. If i go to UTH does that mean you should know what i am suffering from because you paid towards my health care as a tax payer. If your concern is the cost, then you should be calling for a reform of the medical priveledges offerered to government leaders not calling for information on their health status no no no. Next you will be asking for health infor for all pipo who arepaid from tax payers and receive health care, i.e. ZRA, BOZ, NAPSA, ZCTU, Civil servants etc
#29 and #32 im sorry! its just dat da fool anoyz me all da time he/she writes nonses! thanx 4da adviz!
#3, Answer is F, all of the above!! (lol)
We are being led by fools and we are fools to allow them. Robert Zulu is very right. It is unethical to discuss people’s illnesses. Leaders who do this are showing us they are missing that one capacity for leadership: Ethics. They are indeed immoral beings pretending to be holier than everybody else
Senior Citizen why dont you write your own column instead of usurping all the little space available on Lusaka Times? Or start your own blog on FAcebook, Twitter, Yahoo Groups, MSN, MySpace etc. Anyway, you are a sycophant so I will not engage you into any meaningful debate. I rest my case!
Sometimes when I read some blogs on LT, I wonder whether they have introduced internet in Kachasu dens.
ZMA has been right to advise the way it has – It has no POWER to punish legally anyone abusing the Doctor/Pt relationship or confidentiality, all it can do is expel its member if found wanting, however that person can continue to practice legally. The Authority empowered to deal with such abuses, is the Medical Council Of Zambia (MCZ). It is down to them to investigate & punish if proven that one of their registered practitioners had abused this Doctor-Patient confidentiality. Ultimate punishment is to de-register the culprit, who will be unable to practise in Zambia. MCZ should be seen to be taking this very seriously, becoz if they don’t, THEY WILL HAVE THEN FAILED the whole profession as well as the PATIENTS they purport to PROTECT from quacks etc, the MCZ will not be worth its salt!