The Resident Doctors Association has disclosed that the levels of frustration among medical doctors working in the public health sector have reached alarming levels.
Association President Dr Francis Mupeta has warned that Government is sitting on a time bomb for its failure to address doctors’ poor working conditions.Dr Mupeta also revealed that about 30 medical doctors are still unemployed and adding that the number of jobless doctors will rise to 130 by August 1st 2015.
He has since condemned proposals to hike salaries and allowances for Members of Parliament and other constitution office holders but neglecting to improve working conditions for doctors.
“This development where Government is now confirming that it has money to pay for an increase in MP salaries is very worrying and frustrating for doctors because as an association, we have been negotiation with Government for a long time but the answer we have been receiving is that Government doesn’t have money for pay doctors,” Dr Mupeta said.
[pullquote]Zambian doctors are the lowest paid in the region[/pullquote]
The Association President revealed that Zambian doctors are the lowest paid in the region, only better than Malawi.He said doctors working in the public health sector are now highly demotivated and warned that the level of frustration among doctors is a time bomb.
“We are sitting on a time bomb in the manner we are treating our doctors. As I speak to you now, doctors are owed over K 7.5 million in unpaid allowances and there is no hope that this debt will be cleared any time soon and this debt will double soon,” Dr Mupeta said.
Dr Mupeta disclosed that doctors serving in rural areas have not been paid their rural hardship allowances for over two years making it difficult for them to effectively perform their duties.
“We entered into a staff retention scheme with the Government to encourage more doctors to return and serve in the rural areas, this seemed to be going on well but Government now appears like they want to abrogate that agreement because they have not been paying rural hardship allowances for close to two years now.” Dr Mupeta said.
And Dr Mupeta has revealed that Zambia still has about 30 doctors who are unemployed and roaming the streets.
“This number will go up in the next few days as UNZA is expected to offload its cohort and this number will go up to 130 doctors without jobs and there are no indications that Government will employ these doctors any time soon because Government says it has no money to pay the doctors,” he said.
Dr Mupeta added, “These are fresh graduates so they cannot be employed in the private sector of anywhere else but the Government, so they are stranded and frustrated.”
He said Government needs to address doctors concerns quickly before the situation gets out of hand.
Zambia has around 1,500 medical doctors with one of the most abnormal doctor-patient ratio in the world which now stands at 1 doctor per 12,000 patients.
According to the World Health Organisation, the normal doctor-patient ratio is 1 doctor per 5,000 patients.
This was a good song: “Ba zambia finshi mulefwaya? natwishiba fwebene ee Lungu ee Lungu ee Lungu eo tulefwaya…”
Ifinu ni Lungu! Just six months down the line. He said it himself that he had no clue. Stop complaining!
Another nice one was donchi kubeba
There are 1,500 doctors, fine. The doctor: patient ratio is 1:12,000 fine. Total number of patients is therefore 1,500X12,000 = 18,000,000. The population of Zambia is 14,000,000. I know my calculations may not be correct but in Zambia, more than 100% of its population is sick
That’s why all politicians go to SA for treatment. they careless apart from making themselves rich.
Voting for PF was the biggest mistake Zambians made, now let you eat your own vomit including Doctors. A government with wrong priorities is a cancer that will kill everyone silently. El has wrong advisers, I feel for him?? he is a good Man with Wrong group of people around him. These will be the first and same to condemn him if he looses next year.
It’s a sad affair.
ati doctors operating. chi kaseba kikikiki those days ninshi chilelila. ifintu ni lungu. why are you *****s complaining kanshi? tamulachula, you can still manage to open your mouths ninshi you are ok. insala taila ikata!!!
I think we are all fed up with these greedy MPigs. Let us take to the streets to protest against Mpigs allowances and salaries (whatever they call it)
If Zambians are really hurt by the sufferings of PF government who can not even employ local doctors needed so badly in the nation, the message is clear. There is an option around the corner. Let us Zambians mobelise our selves and resolve to vote out PF government that is clueless with matters of national governance.
Surely how can we fail to employ our own doctors, the world is laughing. This is really news, bad news for the country. We are not a serious nation, politics aside. Zambians die on account of inadequate health trained personnel. Politics with people dying needlessly is failed politics. Zambians lets resolve this matter.
I am a very sad man and not proud to call myself as Zambian while abroad Years back I was proud to call myself a Zambian. When you check on internet Zambia is not even ranked on the top 20 rich countries in Africa. A country which was at par with south Korea in 1964.No matter how fast we can develop we can not reach the level of south Korea today in 100 years to come. The question is why are we so poor despite all this natural wealth. The answer is simple. Zambian have been electing wrong people in power, based on tribalism and kwalola chimwela. Even a standard 2(Sata)could be elected as president in this modern era. As long as we continue doing so we shall remain poor for ever. I personally want to come home and fight for economic development.we are very corrupt to the bone .
How can we sensitise everybody especially the rural masses that we should have nobody from the present MPs in the next parliament. Wether they have performed or not, the mere fact that they want to swindle the country is enough. How do they increase their salaries in a country which is broke for others. As for PF, Sata already did the job, he said most of the PF MPs would never be readopted-lets keep his word alive.
Very ideal proposition @ Mark Zulu, the current crop of MP’s are no longer useful to national aspirations. The world is moving very fast in sector advances and the caliber we have in parliament can not match with it. The younger generation of the born free era need to be given a chance. Difficult as it may seem to sensitize everybody we can all contribute by starting with our extended families.
Dr Mupeta its not just doctors who are frustrated its everyone who isnt a direct relative of a politician.
This is sad reading. By the way Dr. Mupeta, it is not only Doctors, even other Health cadres are in the same dilemma. Just say it is a time bomb across all health cadres.
EEeee Infintu Ni Lungu.eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee kabili
You doctors do you think you are the only ones who are important?Even us teachers who taught you and who are more important than you are waiting patiently.This government is addressing workers plight So keep quiet you dogs
@kalulu I’m sure you are not a teacher if you are you are dull and not fit to be a teacher. Your reasoning is not only childish but also foolish not befitting a teacher. You must be a pf cadre.
I don’t understand were you have deciphered from boasting from Dr. Mupeta’s statement. Most of the so called mps contribute nothing positive in parliament but are just interested in getting hefty allowances.
Please leave the doctors alone and wait for your for. Visionless and clueless pf gorvenment.
Kalulu, You have made me laugh today. Thank you. You are so right….
Doctors unemployed? Doesn’t make sense, ba PF.
…the only Doctor who made sense when he spoke was Dr Manda MHSRIP…the rest speak like a chicken which has been poured with water..or a village girl being proposed to…..
..common Doctors…speak with your chin up….with your head and shoulder high…..
…yes now what are u saying…??….where were you when the nurses were singing almost the same song….you pretended you did not know the song to sing along and yet you knew the chorus of the song very well….you did not have to sing along but surely you could have joined them during the chorus……
@ Scrutinizer.. Some professions its ethically incorrect to be protesting.Did you expect Doctors to be warming their backsides with the nurses whilst patients screamin pain? That is why i supported the firing of nurses because it meant they were in the wrong profession! Better join the private sector and strut it out instead of having sadistic motives of watching the masses suffering in order to fatten your pockets< that goes for the politicians too!
And government is building more hospitals on every corner? I can imagine the number of White elephant building there will be once these are all completed.
The only good in this is that these people willingly voted for PF, so this is a bit of a reaping time. Hope its sorted quick so the ordinary Zambian does not endure the suffering of poor hospital services any longer.
As far as i know, doctors are being paid a lot of money. Besides, these same doctors are making a fortune working for private clinics on govt time. I dont even know why some of them are called doctors. They exhibit such unethical and unprofessional behaviour in their work. If they want, let them go to rsa.
Did I just smell envy in your breath?
We are the only country in the world with a visionless and clueless president and where there are loads of unemployed doctors when most of the people have no access to good health care services.
Very soon we will be a failed state. Listening to Obama and the Kenyan President share the podium , you realise how low the bar and calibre of Zambian politicians has dropped .
You wonder whether our so called leaders are there to provide leadership , hope and inspiration for the masses or the party cadres and family . Sadly the we are on the downward trajectory as a country.
….BUT PF AWE SHUWA! HONESTLY FELLOW ZAMBIANS AT SOME POINT EVEN THE PF CADRES HAVE TO ADMIT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Paul Pogba,
You have a point. I suspect the doctor: patient ratio is 1:1,200. This would give us 1,800,000 as the number of patients. This means out of a population of 14,000,000, 13 percent of the population is sick. The doctor: patient ratio of 1:12,000 given is therefore suspect.
Dr Francis Mupeta, haven’t you forgotten to add something or is it LT who have cut your statement? I mean, with regard to MPs seeking salary increments ahead of doctors, don’t you want to mention that it’s the UPND MPs who initiated and supported the motion, and not PF MPs?
And also the same party that wants to ban public discussion of the selfish motion, talk about dictatorship in its infancy! What more when these guys grow from calves to oxen?
Sorry, I meant to say when they grow into Bulls? Hehehehehe!
PF for you
All areas of existence in the country are faulty but people still claim to have brains and still vote for a team that have accumulated so much debt, there are still tough times ahead. Wait and see
Doctors were living in shanty compunds under Kaunda, under chiluba doctors were fired when they went on strike. UTH has ALWAYS been pathetic. Wih rising population it only gets worse. The fact that things are bad does not necessarily mean they’ll get better by voting in a new govt, even HH will fail to handle these disastrous problems.
Countries like India have an oversupply of doctors but their healthcare is f u c k e d up, so its not just about numbers. In 10 years I expect a new govt, new ministers, new forum, but same old problems, in 10 years I still expect UTH to be f u c k e d up . children dying, no medicines, no s h I t.
You guys have to stop trying to link this to voting or to govt change, it transcends that. No amount of voting or changing presidents is going to fix this, get that through your thick skulls. Its one of those things that wont be fixed in any of our lifetimes, tough fact to face but face it, so those of you in zed, even after 25 years when youre older and have more health problems youll land into these rubbish hospitals. Sorry.