TWENTY-eight Chinese medical doctors have arrived in Zambia and will be deployed in five hospitals around the country.
Welcoming the doctors at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka on Saturday, Ministry of Health spokesperson Reuben Mbewe described the arrival of the medical team as a milestone in the fight against diseases in the country.
Dr Mbewe said Zambia was grateful to China for the continued assistance and called for stronger relations between the two countries. He said the doctors were expected to report to their respective health centres after one week and would undergo the normal process of induction in the health sector before being granted work permits.
Dr Mbewe said China was adding impetus to Zambia’s quest to meet the 2015 millennium development goals. “Government is pleased to receive the medical doctors who will be in the country for the next two years to help in treating various diseases. ‘’We appreciate the assistance that China has continued to render and we hope this friendship will continue for a long time,” he said.
Of the 28 doctors, four would be sent to Livingstone District Hospital while four others would be based at Kitwe Central Hospital. Dr Mbewe said four of the doctors would be based at Ndola Central Hospital, five at University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka while 11 would be at Levy Mwanawasa General Hospital.
Among the specialists are physicians, gynaecologists, surgeons, radiologists and dentists. And speaking on behalf of the doctors, delegation leader, Lin Zhangsho said the team would remain dedicated to helping Zambia improve its healthcare delivery system.
“We are happy to arrive in Zambia and we will help with our expertise in treating diseases and addressing frontiers of fighting diseases,” he said. Dr Lin also expressed hope that relations between Zambia and China would continue to flourish for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
[Times of Zambia]
And why do we have to employ foreigners when we have our own doctors. Are our doctors incompetent? No one can say these fellas will be getting the same amount which our own doctors get. GRZ, if we have a shortage of doctors, do something about it. This is not at all a development, this is going backwards.
This country never stops amazing me. With the levels of unemployment we still continue importing labor. Other countries do not do such stupiid things
Don’t yap without thinking. Are there any unemployed doctors in Zambia?!
What is this now? Where have all the qualified Zambian doctors gone?
have u ever been in a government hospital? if u have u would not have asked this question
Nice move for the hospitals but let these chinese doctors come with their wives so that they dont chuku chuku and touch touch our underage children.
@ Hellboy, currently the requirement for health staff i.e. doctors, nurses, pharmacists etc stands at 52,000 but we only have 24,000 staff available to do the Job aganist a population of 13m… So the there is a serious shortage unless of course you don’t use public health facilities.
28 is such a small fraction to the figures you claim above or you mean the rest of that space should be filled by Chinese. The health sector is very sensitive, and with the way these Chinese treat us things are not ok.
SCRUTINIZE THEIR CREDENTIALS , THOROUGHLY BEFORE THEY CAN START PRACTICING.
goodnews if these guys are qualified i don’t care if there chinese , american or russian zambia has a huge shortage of docs. most of our medical professionals live outside the country.
Hahahhahahahaha listen to you PF mounts to comedy ….” we want to empower Zambians, bla bla bla …..”
Useless decision..! where’s the empowerment of zambians then.
PF’s government of shit.
Send them to rural areas as well some of the hospitals are being run by clinical officers
Ni ho wang hu dududud niyamu niho wapho, Kawa ni na Chinese.
The NHS UK employs workers from all over the world, not a big deal learn from them only in Zambia for two yrs no BIG deal.
Understand before you comment. These doctors are not employed by GRZ. They re already employed by chinese govt and they just come on voluntary basis. Its a great gesture from china.
are the people being paid by the zambian govt? i was thinking they are sent by the chinnese govt.
hahaha so much for all that ‘we gonna choose our own people over foreigners!” nonsense!! 25 jobs that would have gone to unza graduates! what a shame. things will never change.
Which is more costly, to ferry a president to South Africa for a Knee injury check up or bring a doctor to Zambia who can treat not only the President but other suffering Zambian’s.
Good short term move PF. So far so good and just double or even tripple the enrollment at CBU medical school so we can stop importing labour.
Botswana imported a number of Zambians in the 80’s and 90’s that it used effectively and then closed the tap. We can do the same and transfer the technolodge especially in fields where we have a deficit. The PF should also work to woe our patriotic doctors and other proffessionals who ran away from thier country as levy did to the likes of Maxwell Nkole at a cost that Zambia can afford but also attractive enough to the proffessional.
For those of you dunderheads thinking these people are volunteering, where have you read that? Instead I have just seen WORK PERMITS underlined.
DON’T KUDABWA WILA LILA LILA SSSSSSHHHHHHHH
IS IT TRUE MICHAEL SATA HAS CHILDREN WITH BLOOD SISTERS?????
Credentials must be checked. I work outside Zambia and to just get registered with the Health Authorities and medical councils in other countries is no chicken feed, you have to go undergo a lot of scrutiny, one actually sits for an exam all over again, its done everywhere anyway, only in Zambia. I hope the Medical council of Zambia has put tighter measures to improve our health sector or is it a situ of being beggers we cant be choosers. I for one would want to return and work for our people but realistically, I need to feed my kids and the health facilities and work enviroments need to be improved, I am sure it would attract a lot of Zambians outside who want to settle in Zambia. They will bring back with them alot of ideas, exposure and experience. Its no rocket science.
A blend of Zambia and Chinese doctors is good for young junior doctors to gain practical experience. We can borrow Botswana method get these guys for a while and when we can sustain ourselves then we do away with foreigners. A prophet is not honered in his own land, we abandoned our doctors and now we are importing foreign ones. Ok let not the masses suffer. but to tell you, they are in Zambia as chaairt workers Government will pay them maintanance allowance (call it a sarary if you like) and on top of it their chinese government will pay them huge sums when they get back. I hope the Zambia Doctors conditions have improved by now.
Goooooooooooooood move! Our doctors are tooooo smart/proud to work locally considering that they have a better salary scale than other graduates in the civil service. Most were educated using taxpayers money but have still left this country for greener pastures. Such an unpatriotic, ungrateful and greedy lot. I have great respect for patriots such as Dr. Lambert, Dr. Manda and many other highly qualified down -to-earth doctors.
Ba LT fintu fyenu…. you know why.
Ba ZED, why always complain? Good move to have the chinese DOCs. All the so called zambian DOCs have become Managers in the districts. How I wished they could be posted in rural areas sure where pipo are sheeting much. This is Govt -to -Govt agreement. Never mind about their salaries.
Offering assistance…
for those of you who are complaining without knowing what it takes to become a consultant, i advise u to keep quiet because even if Zambia pumped money to train doctors to specialize like these Chinese, it would take five years for them to finish training and then come back to serve, if they dont decide to work elsewhere. You asked for healthcare, you have been given doctors, while the rest of us prepare to treat u when you grow old. Stop complaining and accept the free healthcare services. 2 years for them to work while zambian medical students train is even too little. be thankful your grandparents wont die because the Junior Doctor failed to diagnose the diseases they have. Some day you will see wisdom in this act of kindness by the Chinese physicians
Yaba more deaths in hospitals now, these tuma chongchong don’t know african medicine let alone diseases, so they will inject pipo with contaminated needles and make the patients as a specimen for experiments
Very true, hence we shouldnt just take anyone that claims to be a Doctor, the only way would be by screening through medical council which doesnt know what they are there for, the time I was in Zambia I never at anytime saw them visit clinics or hospital to check on how medicine was being practiced
awe ubu bufi, these chongcholis are bad at other things but medical wise, twalishiba sana fye. there i have great respect for them..
I won’t b surprised to hear these doctors are the new “Muchinga Province” …..
This program has been going on since mwanawasa’s time and these doctors are being paid by chinese govt. If you don’t know you need a work permit even if you are a volunteer. Shame for exposing your Ignorance. I have worked before with doctors from china at Ndola Central Hospital and I know what iam talking about. Its a good move initiated the by LPM coz big hospitals have few consultants.
@ DR. NM We appreciate your educating us about what it takes be a consultant, the issue here is, here is a party that promised to put Zambians first … insulting chinese left right then send KK to go beg for help from the same people, its a principle issue here. Why gain popularity by insulting chinese, the next thing you are begging for help …. why not ask the chinese for 50 medicine bursaries and send young zambians for 10 years. Isn’t that an investment? These chinese doctors coming to zambia are students or prisoners ….. just watch the space.
More money in their pockets
BASOP! It’s amazing how we always mistake friendship for competence. The fact that we have a good relationship with the Chinese doen’nt mean we can’t find the best elsewhere. China is very well known for exceptional skills in; construction, creative products, textiles, agriculture, food and beaverages better than they are known to be good in medicine (although they are good at traditional and usually self-administered medicines. Kuchenjela nato tukasha na tumilepaula twaya nokuya!
Zambia yalibola fye, whether under mmd govt. pf govt, its the same s.hit suffering of the Zambia people. The only difference is that under mmd it was blue s.hit, under pf its green s.hit. S.hit is s/hit whether green, blue, black or white.
Good development.I just hope they won`t follow the lifestyle of their countrymen in Luanshya.
Do we have unemployed medical doctors roaming the streets in Zambia? If we have a shortage instead, then these doctors are welcome. Its better than having no doctors at all. A lot if not most Zambian doctors work outside the country. So you cant even do a Botswana, hoping to close the gap. The brain drain will always be there as UK, USA, Canada etc need more and more doctors and Zambia does not pay well enough.
can these chaps speak english. we need them to communicate with patients. that said i have no problem with gov importing skilled labour because as of now there is a shortage of doctors in the country. trying to see a doc can be a nightmare.
this type of strategy have been seen before and they will not solve the problem. i think doctors themselves in this country are the biggest problem. they complain alot and do nothing. i have never heard of any suggestion at solving problem in the health sector coming form doctors’ proffessional bodies.perhaps they are busy fighting for their salary
why not educate 28 Zambians to come with the same skills these guys have come with? I thought it was high time we jerked up and educated our own country men and women to propel our literacy level…. we need to burn our brains and learn from developed institutions from western countries….. its always been the oldest trick in the book to develop underdogs like our country coz the Chinese did the same bloody thing!!!! can we please invest in education.
#36 you have a good point but the peoblem is when the government sends people to study overseas in developed countries those people decide not to come back thereby causing the government to loose money they invested in those people. So it better these Chinese come and others to Zambia work in Zambia as well as teach Zambians too. And you also find that many doctors and nurses trained in Zambia decide to leave the country greener pastures. So the move by PF is good the more shortage of personel replace them with chinese who want to live in Zambia permanently and give them citizenship. Zambia has a shortage of medical personel
Please remember us also!! We need these Doctors in Maamba as well. Our only Zairean Doctor is being over worked.
The only thing surprising cant we find thses doctors else where why only chocholis.awe mwe
PF government has to use other initiatives. Work like Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda who tell their diaspora doctors who work in foreign lands to send forex to their relatives (Revenue); secondly to come to their countries for 1 – 3 months for attachments with specialist doctors from UK or USA at various hospitals to work or to teach; thirdly in the process take over out dated medical books of 2005 (Yes! Those are old in the UK) for medical school libraries that have been discarded and replaced with latest editions of 2010 and 2011; fourthly, get Zambian medical doctors lecturing abroad to come and run sessions for 7 to 14 days at Medical school. It can be done!
Advantages many as these Zambian doctors are Zambians and know Zed well. There are many waiting to be called over.
I totally agree with the last post, bring in Zambian doctors based abroad to work on contract basis BUT treat them as expatriates i.e pay them gratuity, relocation expenses, housing etc.In most cases these doctors are far better educated than the Chinese you are bringing in.
The benefit to the country is 1) They speak the language and are also more likely to treat patients as mothers,fathers,brothers,sisters etc. not as a means to more chop suey 2) a portion of the money -possibly a large portion of it will be re-invested in Zambia as these “expatriates” will likely have relatives to support in Zed, lastly the experience may even serve to make them want to stay in Zed permanently
#40,41 you guys are right.the practical problem is that gov cannot afford to paid these zambian doctors and if they do manage then they will be an outcry as to why they are not paying the resident zam doc enough.
the only way your suggestion will work is if that money is coming from the private sector. if we had a good private sector-one that is coordinated, organised in structure and funding then you idea will work like magic.
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