Friday, March 29, 2024

Re-instating fired nurses is a fluke – Nevers Mumba

Share

Nevers Mumba at supreme court.Courtesy Mwebantu
Nevers Mumba at supreme court.Courtesy Mwebantu

Opposition MMD president, Nevers Mumba, says the reinstating of 570 health workers is a mere fluke.

Dr Mumba says some of the fired nurses have left the country for greener pastures while others have since died.

He says it was unfortunate that government has re-engaged the nurses at the time of presidential election.

The opposition leader was speaking in Lusaka today when he addressed journalists at the party secretariat.

“It is unfortunate that the PF government has re-instated all the 570 health workers that were fired in 2013. It is a fluke because some of the nurses have left the country for Botswana and South Africa and other countries. PF is window dressing; it is a joke because some have since passed on,” Dr Mumba said.

He accused government of being adamant when he earlier on advised government to re-instate the fired nurses but it had to wait for presidential election to be near.

Government sacked all the nurses who staged an illegal strike in 2013 to the displeasure of some stakeholders.

Minister of Health, Joseph Kasonde, yesterday announced that his ministry has re-instated all the fired nurses.

Dr Kasonde told a media briefing in Lusaka that out of the number that were initially dismissed, 67 were immediately reinstated after clarification of their circumstances.

He added that 431 who had re-applied have since been re-appointed while 71 have had their cases processed and are free to collect their letters of re-engagement.

Dr Kasonde said only one staff member died.

The minister said the matter of the fired nurses will now rest.

27 COMMENTS

  1. Well, the level of ignorance in Zambia is amazing. Who could imagine a bunch of well educated ministers, who include lawyers and doctorate holders could be blundering like that about laws? Certainly, the events that are going on in this government explains that we were probably not ready for independence or we got got it before things could sink in. Thank you President Scott for making us a nation of laws, for the first time in our history. Had you more time, I am sure Zambia was going to civilize.

    • The fluke is you Nevers Mumba. You wanted the Govt. to wait after the presidential elections? If they have left the country for South Africa, Botswana or other countries so what? Can’t they come back and start their job? And for whose have died are you saying firing them caused their death? You want us to bring them back from the dead? By the way why should decisions not be made by Govt. just because there are elections? If you go to church on Sunday during this presidential elections period are we going to say its a fluke coz its elections time hence you are enticing potential voters?

  2. there is no question whatsoever that this was a campaign manourver. Minister are you paying them for the time they were not working? are you going to pay the nurse who passed on her package? are you going to give her or him the funeral grant that they are entitled to since you are re-instating them without conditionalities? your statement was very shallow and i thought you were being very economical with the truth

    • You wanted them to reinstate the nurses..govt has been working on the case as the minister stated. They reinstate, ati election time. Let’s learn to be realistic as Zambians. It’s a common trend have people demanding for something, when they are given they still complain for being given.

    • Comments by ine wine are very immature. Do you think someone who has left the country to work would come back for the same conditions they staged a strike about? Nothing has been said about the government causing the deaths of those who died. But it might have contributed. Lack of food, stress etc.
      Your comments show your lack of education and empathy.

  3. I am PF and I am impressed with the way Guy Scott is handling issues. Just imagine the stripping of government resources for campaigns if it was a black munthu acting as president. But he needs to check properly as Chikwanda could have a way in which he is doing it, money could be leaving government for campaigns

  4. MUVI TV reports that reinstated nurses who went to collect their letters were today told by the HR Officer that the minister’s pronouncements do not reflect what is on the ground. Letters are not there. Useless PF ministers must stop playing with the emotions of non Pf cadres.

    • The civil service has procedures to follow and taking action is not through political rhetoric but formal documentation.

    • PF window dressing as usual. A campaign! Why would reinstating nurses take a year? PF lovers ask yourself this question. Unfortunately some of the nurses have nowhere to go or they could have rejected the gesture to reinstate them.
      Now a word of advice to you nurses. Stop being arrogant and rude to patients. Nursing is a calling and it takes empathy, compassion, dedication to make a great nurse. Most of you have joined nursing because it provides a salary.
      We as the public should take steps to stop rudeness. Ministry of Health a lot of your nurses are not worth calling “nurse.” They don’t want to work. Discipline them and weed out the inefficient. Make nursing attractive and a vocation as it used to be. Why should a patient be scared to ask for help from a nurse?

  5. PF illi terate gullible bloggers can you also aattack Mumba’s sentiments over the reinstatement observation as being a political fluke like you condemned the UPND councilor & you even mistook his (councilor)sentiments as being HH’s.You (PF) devils-Zwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Twachula mwe!

  6. 80% of Black African Nations will always remain Underdeveloped Banana Republics , as evidenced in most African countries which are run down, more than 50 years after attaining Independence, because there is No Discipline, or respect for Government resources / funds, which are ALWAYS mismanaged / pilfered for family or tribal gain.
    It has to take a White Zambian to bring order to how we properly manage Government finances.
    If I had my way I would have loved for Guy Scott to rule Zambia at least for one term, & believe me, everyone would notice the difference.
    Ba Chagwa Lungu cannot even fix the Filth in his own Constituency, & Zambian’s are deluded & dreaming he will fix Zambia??
    THAT WILL BE THE DAY!!

  7. How on planet earth could you fire nurses, when the entire world is itching for nurses? Please nurses when you get your pay arrears, get on a plane and go to Europe, America, Australia – Because nurses are in serious demand! What disrespect to people who care for the sick.

    This myopic behavior and dictatorial tendency by PF is no help to the country and should be condemned. Time invested in training and the experience should have been considered and not using KK tactics of wanting the nurses to beg for their Jobs…..No wonder the clueless Panji Kaunda was suggesting that they will not beg for Guy scott.

    These people should have listened to a voice of reason by Nevers Mumba and reinstated the nurses at the time…..you don’t have to be desperate for votes to reinstate them.

  8. No miss useless minister. The matter will not rest. We will continue to highlight your heartless, unsympathetic regime that cares for nothing or no-one except it’s on continued political existence. Reinstating the poor and long suffering nurses to try and buy a few votes. Not even ashamed playing political football with people’s lives. May heaven have mercy on your heartless souls. PF is the most unsympathetic collection of selfish individuals on the planet. Everything they do is aimed at self preservation. That’s why the abused Sata knowing he was ill until the old man finally gave in and died. If you ask me the upper echelon of PF are the people that overworked king Cobra and that contributed significantly to his untimely death. Now they are playing with innocent famers and nurse

    • Our main problem in Zambia is there is no accountability in the work place. During this year when 570 nurses were fired no organization has taken it up to see the impact on the already appalling medical services. I am sure more people have died, nurse attitude has worsened and as a result impacted on patient welfare. PF have you investigated?

  9. When we told you that the PF palibe vintu you thought we were joking. Nei bane. Zambians you have learned a lesson truely. Mwalemona ati sata fintu. What a legacy. There has never been history of a country where a leader died and left his/her people so confused and disorganised in such a manner. You publicly fight, insult, shout etc at each other like no man’s bussiness and you expect zambians to foolishly vote for you. Palibe. The zambian thinkers are at work now. Not the call boys from inter-city bus terminus. HH HHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH UN OPPOSED ALL THE WAY TO STATE HOUSE.

  10. Of course it is a campaign gimmick. It is an act of desperation. How I pray to God that one day a credible NGO will emerge to educate the ordinary voters that their vote is the only weapon that scares politicians. Even arrogant PF is scared that the ordinary so-called common man and woman is going to decide whether they continue to be ministers, deputy ministers, district commissioners and even permanent secretaries. That is how powerful voters are. This is why winter kabimba and the later president sata were so scared of a new constitution and democracy.

  11. Of course nurses who got jobs outside Zambia may not come back unlesd for marital and othet social reasons I.e. if the hudband has a good job in Zambia I would strongly advise the husbands to keep their jobs. Do not believe your wives’ sweet talk. They will turn against you if you fail to get a better paying job in the diaspora. The stories of suffering husbands in the diaspora abound. Their wives are suddenly ashamef of their husbands and infidelity abounds. Please take this advice seriously. They respect you now because og yiur current job. Women are almost the same. Even Christian wives are doing the same – yes, so-callef “born agains”. I cannot mention names. I repeat, please do not fall into this trap.

  12. MMD fired mefical doctors for demanding medical equipment and tools so that ordinary Zambians who the government doesn’t evacuate can be saved from curable diseases and injuries.
    PF fired nurses for demanding what was promised during campaigns in 2011. Nurses were also fired to embarrass HH and UPND who had opposed the PF action. Fellow oppositionleaders narep and fdd labelled HH and UPND as “bittet”. Zambians please wake up.

  13. @Let me Say this -how I wish U,Wanzelu & a few radical bloggers were known physically.A proactive Voice of the voiceless NGO would have saved this declasse Zambian society we are experiencing under that outgoing Lairs Party PF.To my surprise most of the so called pro-poor NGOs are just watching & sitted ndwiiiiiii including the once vocal catholic church amidst PF panga & machete diabolicals. HH come in & restore our lost hope & freedom in our daily endeavours.

    • Some of the NGOs just get a salary. They are supposed to provide checks and balances where the govt is found wanting. All they are interested in are big vehicles and titles at the expense of the voiceless.

  14. The fired staff have been suffering for more than a year now and you the so called re-instater minister you were busy ukunyopola indalama shachalo. You even say one died. It is because of problems you created for them. Others even lost their children to malnutrition.Their children could not go to school when you sent your children to south africa even with their dullness. You guys are heartless. You should have advised your mudala at that time not during the bye election. Bushe teimwe bakatolica mumapepo.Mumicito mulachinja kwati ni bwalya umupatili. Don’t worry the fired guys HHHHHHHHHHHHH will re-instate you. Ukuba minister kumfwila noku bombela abantu. Retire bamudala namukula shikulu bantu.

  15. No one in his senses would like rude nurses, to continue to work when they saw their patients dying as they hanged out in the sun. what kind of Zambia can that be, of course if you didn’t lose your relative it is fine. But ask your neighbour who lost his uncle he will call you a witch

  16. Zambian politics are a sham!! The public service Commission is a very competent body. The decision to relieve the nurses of their duties was a professional and not a political decision. Why should PF start interfering in the work of a professional body simply because HH and Nevers are using the issue for political mileage. These politicians do not stand for anything and I wonder why we even take them serious. If HH is going to allow street vending why should we expect any change when UPND comes into power?

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