Last month the Lusaka city council reveled that they had recorded over 980 deaths in a period of three months in Lusaka at their burial permit office at the University Teaching Hospital.
These figures have however been questioned by various sections of society including the ministry of health.
But Mrs. Katongola has maintained and clarified that the figures must have appeared high because they are obtained from deaths recorded from various health posts around Lusaka City.
She has explained to QTV News that Lusaka only has one LCC burial permit office located at the university teaching hospital where all deaths that have occurred in which ever part of Lusaka are recorded.
She has since urged the media not to exaggerate the numbers further clarifying that the recorded deaths did not only happen at UTH but in other clinics both private and government.
This week, Government refuted the recent statement by the Lusaka City Council (LCC) that the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) recorded 980 deaths in three weeks.
Ministry of Health Spokesperson Dr. Kennedy Malama said that the 980 deaths announced are not the patients who died at the UTH in three weeks stating that the University Teaching Hospital had recorded a decline compared to the deaths recorded in previous years.
Dr. Malama said that Members of the public were not well informed and that the statement was interpreted out of context.
Dr. Malama said that UTH did not lose 980 lives in a space of three weeks as reported.
Dr. Malama explaieds that the source of the information was the Lusaka City Council burial permit office adding that it is not a good source of information to link it to UTH because it gives permits to different individuals irrespective of where they died from.
He said that the Ministry together with the Lusaka City Council will engage the media in ensuring that they give the Zambian people the right information stating that some statements are alarming the people when they can be interpret scientifically and made in way that the people can understand.
The LCC is right.I have now realised that government ministries only say things that appease their bosses in PF.The 980 deaths recorded by LCC is the minimum number of reported deaths in 3 weeks.. Do not refuse data once given because it is from this that you will improve.
Projection, 52,920 deaths per year at UTH
@1 SADDENED, i think what Lusaka City council and the Ministry of Healthy are saying are one and the same information. What The Ministry was saying is that not all those deaths happened at UTH. This is the same thing LCC is saying. These deaths are for the whole Lusaka Province. Also Lusaka Times, this a very alarming statement statement or headline of your news. The title and the message are completely at variance. @1 please read through again for you to appreciate what i am saying.
Typical PF propaganda, they only want to hear good news not the opposite. Go on continue lying to your boss, he will faint after losing the 2021 election. It happened to Bwezani because he became so big headed, bigger than his ugly head.
Reality is that people are dying because there is no medicine in hospitals.
Like a war zone! In fact, not even a war zone people die that much in 3 months. The number is correct, such a big number of people died whether from uth or somewhere within Lusaka. That is deaths in Lusaka?? Terrible the number is too big even if you streamline the data to suit you (govt dpts).
Well, 980 deaths in three months translates into almost 11 deaths per day. Meaning in a year you have a crude birth rate of 41.8 [babies born per 1000 women] against a mortality rate of 11 X 365 = 4015 persons per year!!! Anyway, I hope people in the right offices can pay attention to this because its just catastrophic!!!
Its three weeks not three months!
Lungu is pure unadulterated evil.
By the way Dr. Malama, Don’t take pride in that number. Its just very high even if its for the whole Lusaka. Does this Dr. really analyses figures for him to even justify what ever he trying to explain?
Misleading headline ba Lusaka times. The number is not in dispute but rather the attribution of the whole number as deaths that occurred at UTH! Please don’t be part of the problem!
And all the bloggers before you are too blind to pick this – all are fixated on that the number is not in dispute as misinformed by the heading.
UTH Dr.s ! You would have reacted by give us figures at UTH within that period. Infact, even if it is for whole Lusaka, it still remains a concern. So instead, Dr found out the cause, and come up with a solution to reduce that number since you are paid for that. Work with data not chipante pante!
This is what should annoy people not runbish that a commentor has uttered!!
We are here at Kafiwe with trucks Of mukula tree but we have been detaining here for 4months without any caise so did you think you are killing the family? We’re in transit and we are legally why??????????????
According to Malama’s record. how many died at UTH?
Was Dr Malama ready to refute the figures given by LCC without giving any figures? Was he forced to deny the figures by the powers that be? It is a circus.
Well I believe that in the next three months some of the bloggers on this platform will be part of the next statistics to be debated. Cool.
Dr. Malama was obviously rattled by the Hon Minister to respond. Unfortunately he has refuted the statistics without providing reliable statistics with a little bit more detail. His response lacks facts and sounds like that of a shallow minded politician in a 3rd world country to say the least. May be the UTH health information system is in a mess just like the clinical care aspect! So he has no accurate data to breakdown in any intelligent way.
Lusaka Times how long will continue moderating my messages. Surely there are people who insult on this forum but there messages are never moderated. Can you please publish my post
Dr Malama inform the nation the breakdown of that figure 980. Chances are that the truth is too shocking to you even.