The Medical for Quality Healthcare in Zambia (MQHZ) has praised the Ministry of Health for suspending the Zambia Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (ZAMPHIA) Project after widespread public outcry.
In a statement released to the media by the organization’s Director-General Dr. Quince Mwabu, MQHZ said that continuing with the door to door collection of blood from people in various communities would have directly put innocent health workers in great danger of being attacked, owing to the volatile security situation in Zambia.
Dr. Mwabu said that while the ZAMPHIA project has good health objectives, the organization strongly felt that the timing was suicidal and could not clearly sit well with the mood in the country.
“The current widespread gassing of citizens and suspicions of ritual killings cannot allow a project of drawing blood from citizens coming from tensed up compounds,” read the statement
MQHZ has since advised the Ministry of Health to seriously sensitize the public on the ZAMPHIA program in order for our people to fully appreciate the benefits of the
undertaking, adding that lack of sensitization would still render the activity futile even in the future.
The Zambia Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (ZAMPHIA) is a nationwide survey being implemented by the University of Maryland Baltimore in collaboration with the Ministry of Health with support from The President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through CDC.
ZAMPHIA Survey is a nationally representative household-based survey that provides Home-Based HIV Counselling and Testing (HBHCT) with immediate return of results.
The survey was to collect data on access to and uptake of prevention and treatment services for HIV and the number of recent HIV infections (incidence) and provide HIV testing and check viral load suppression for HIV-positive participants.
Interview household respondents, which includes questions on behavioral factors associated with HIV, all information will be recorded on tablets by trained survey staff and treated as confidential.
Blood suckers!!!
This is the best way to go because this raise alot of concern amidst gassers then you start survey and similar to blood suckers, this wasn’t normal way of doing things those members of staff were going to be killed for sure
The levels of ignorance from even medical staff in this country is amazing, as a medical doctor try to use the words “alledged gassing” until you yourselves confirm that gas was used, if at all you have confirmed that gas was used make available the lab report so the nation knows for sure it was gas. But when you issue half baked statements you only add to this mad hysteria.
How can it be alleged gassed when it has been confirmed?
The delayed response from the police and head of state, combined with the incomplete information and reversal of the statement on kingpins, can only mean one thing.
Some state actors and persons close to the PF are involved. How is it possible for lowly ranked officials from the ministry health have access to classified material without the help of state officials?
Its possible you believe you more intelligent than others, In computer science there are what are called DLL, so in this case the DLL is the Zambia police who conformed gassing and have the results of the chemicals. no need to start writing complex codes when a DLL is available. hope this has not confused you more
‘University of Maryland’, This sounds like someone is writing a Thesis for a doctorate degree and has carefully chosen some African states to do the survey. Why should our governments be accepting anything from outside just because one minister stands to get financial benefits at the expense of citizens. This is cheap way of getting wealth.
@zed forward since y out know more than most can you then tell me what the lab report says on whether a gas was infact used and the type of gas used? Be sure in your verification and don’t jump to conclusions before actual facts are produced. The Police also mentioned that that many cases were not verified.
Risk based decision making by a relevant authority. This is what we like to see. Rather than just criticising and complaining. This is using initiative. Something hh can do with. Kz
HH the man who makes u have sleepless nites KZ i dont know what u will do when he becomes President in 2021
Sakala are you having a laugh? If he has failed 5 elections and has even failed to be a mere ward councillor,you think he can be president? Hard work and having a good program for development wins elections not complaining to your followers on Facebook
Good call. If both parties want Zambian blood… our “innocent” health workers would easily accept offers from gassers. So this decision goes a long way. Protect the health workers, and protect Zambian blood.
That never was…
Never mind lives of Health workers, was it legal…who was funding this scheme? These are the questions ka bwalala Chilufya should be asked..is it the Chinese or some Western pharmaceutical
Forget about this nonsese from university of Maryland which is a western country research sponsored project to study on Africans . The west will always blame Africans for every epidemic .Their aim at this time is to update HIV statistic in Africa especially zambia. Secondly, ithink there is somebody studying his PHD and he thinks it easier and simpler to research in Zambia provided you give them some dollars .What I know is the ministry always gets attendance statics from clinics and hospitals every quarterly , new cases and old cases and does submit yearly to WHO.What the ministry should starting thinking about , is how preparedness Zambia is should the CORONA VIRUS spreads to Zambia ? Mind you this is more deadly than HIV infections as it is fatal and causes pneumonia…
( cont)
like symptoms and it kills within few days of exposure to the corona virus.Already spread to Europe .
( Correction ) Second last line to read, ” what the ministry should start thinking about ,”
sakala, In your dreams at your village.
The survey is important but the timing is horrible. Whatever happened to the learned Doctor.
Is it really door to door blood collection? If so this is illegal and it does not qualify as an academic research study since it is a census. Even a census requires consent. People have to want to be counted because there is a benefit for them. Whoever is guiding the process in Zambia does not understand research. Population in research does not mean the whole country’s population. It means the universe or the target group out of which a sample is drawn using a defined valid sampling procedure. PEPFAR has done good work even for Zambia which in 2011 was accused of and required to repay the stolen / unaccounted for funds. So someone is sleeping on duty. How do you embark on a study collecting blood from un informed people at the time of a local disaster and international…