Friday, March 29, 2024

Formal discussions begin after uproar over increased placement fees for trainee Health professionals

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The Zambia Medical Association has begun formal discussions with the Ministry of Health and Private Medical Universities to address the issue of medical training that will be affordable for the training institutions.

The Ministry of Health increased the student placement fees by over 500% for 2019. Medical students who go through 4 rotations a year,each of 8 week duration would therefore be required to pay K32 000 annually  in addition to tuition.

ZMA President Dr. Abidan Chansa said both parties are committed to the current situation of dialogue that has ensued.

Dr. Chansa said the Association anticipates that these discussions will continue to be held in an honest environment where the responsibilities that the private Universities ought to contribute to and the training institutions needs will take centre stage and will result in development of long-term plans that will direct training of healthcare workers in a well-coordinated manner both in public and private institutions.

This will also encourage better utilisation of scarce hospital resources that include surgical consumables and other diagnostic resources that are key to training of quality medical doctors.

And on the proposed increment of clinical placement fees, Dr. Chansa said the Association has resolved that there is need to continuously look at ways of improving the quality of Medical Education provided for all holistically.

He noted that Zambia has been on an ambitious path to achieve Universal Health Coverage and to realise this, human capital development and innovative ways of healthcare financing remain critical.

Dr. Chansa said currently, the sector has seen a rapid rise in the need to train more health professionals both at undergraduate and postgraduate which has resulted in an increase in public and private schools providing training in health courses.

He said all these trainings happen in public institutions with a resultant increase in the cost of provision of health care as the training of healthcare workers increases the cost of running the institutions.

Dr. Chansa said ZMA remains a supporter of progressive government policies to achieve the Country’s goals in achieving Healthcare Financing, Universal Health Coverage, ending the HIV epidemic, Malaria and Tuberculosis through training of well qualified medical personnel.

14 COMMENTS

  1. What type of association is this that lets the govt increase fees by 500%….this is not worthy of calling an association and the crook Chilufya is doing all he can to destroy the profession.

    • Abidan Chansa is chola boy for Dr. Chitalu Chilufya. Chansa is by far the worst ZMA president in history and the doctors will do themselves well to vote him our sooner than later. ZMA has lost the voice on on critical issues i.e, shortage of medicines, staff, and on medical evacuations not to mention failure of GRZ to recruit intern doctors who are just roaming the streets

    • Fact is… we don’t have money. We are trying to find ways and means of making money. By hook. Or by crook.

  2. Dr. Chansa you sound like a person who does not stand for anything. You talk arrogantly to hide your cowardice. Your uktimate actions truly reflect your lack of vision and cowardice.

  3. You have no position on this increment you were caught off guard. You issued a statement loaded with emotion without critical consideration. Now you trying to moderate your statement after Hon Chilufya talked you down. You are a let down.

  4. Serious lack of courage and making statements in hasty. Failed leadership in the doctor community. A vision less association and an overzealous a medical doctor minister.

  5. You will let us know Ba ZMA after your lecture with Hon Chilufya. What’s your role in those meetings ZMA president or Senior medical superintendent Kitwe hospital or just a stooge. Stop wasting your talent. You don’t have the balls to leader.

  6. Looks like we have coward leaders in medicine. ZMA is supposed to protect doctors from harsh situations like this. But they are usually intimidated by chilufya.

  7. Ba ZMA, can you also address the exhorbitant New HPCZ fees that are hurting us! Mujajati and Chilufya were a big mistake for Ministry of Health which has now become a Ministry of Diseases because all the good doctors have been frustrated out of clinical care! Review those fees before the few of us left go back into the Diaspora where we were better treated and respected! We came back to serve our own but a few quacks want to undo what progressive minds before them did for Health. What a shame!

  8. These fees are more than even the cost of tuition for a degree. It’s like the cost of a container is more than the value of the product inside.

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