Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Kabwe General Hospital / Zambia Health system failed one of its own doctors as she died in pain

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Dr.Abigail Mulenga obtained her medical degree in Ukraine in 2019,becoming a doctor at the young age of 23.Just two months into her dream job at Kabwe General Hospital where she had dedicated her life serving the people of Kabwe, she died a painful death with no painkillers available for her. Her family also had to plead to have a doctor attend to her to no avail.From the time Dr.Mulenga started work two months ago she was not paid her salary.

Below is the emotional account of her last moments from her brother

No Patient relative especially a mother should go through what my mother and I went through at Kabwe General Hospital.. Friday into Saturday morning. The system failed you my beautiful sister.As doctor as you were still I had to plead and beg for pain killers. We also had to plead for you to be seen that night Friday night. This is too painful Abby.

My last memories of you are you in severe pain crying out for life.I even told them that but they ignored.The system failed you my baby sister.I just had to express myself before you are laid to rest.Two months no pay yet you worked for them diligently then today they want to give you your salary for two months.My sister this is hard..what do I do with the budget we made..How do you traumatize a mother restraining her daughter for hours with no help??

Baby girl the whole system that includes myself we failed you lamentably when you needed us most..I had a vile of Diazepam in my car for sometime but that stupid car wash I did I lost it..I would have given you the Diazepam so you could sleep my baby..am sorry baby sister.. taking you through the corridors of that hospital, the same hospitals you excitedly run around with your patients except this time other patients watched you feeling sad for you as you screamed on top of your voice in unimaginable pain..Aah Abby you suffered my lil Sister..

One facebook user said” We have a government that spends colossal sums of money to purchase anti riot vehicles rather than investing in the health system that has been failing for years and years

Another facebook user said, There are no medicines in government hospitals, instead of telling it as it is the medical staff are scared of being quoted and intimidated so, they will quietly walk away from you. Something somewhere is wrong, the citizens of this nation may have gone through a resilience course, seemingly knowing what is wrong but choosing to endure. May God comfort the family during this difficult time, this is a tragic, no one deserves to go through this in this Country of abundance”

Dr.Abigail Mulenga

60 COMMENTS

    • LET’S FACE IT, NEXT YEAR’S ELECTION SHOULD BE A REVOLUTION TO ROOT OUT ALL THIS MESS – TWACHULA PAFULA!!!!
      IF A DOCTOR CAN DIE UNATTENDED IN A HOSPITAL WHERE SHE WORKS, WHAT ABOUT US THE NOBODIES?
      I DONT’ KNOW WHAT ANY NORMAL AND SANE ZAMBIAN WOULD BE WAITING FOR TO SEE THAT PF HAS FAILED !!!!!

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  1. Wow. I am sure there are more stories like this doing the rounds. This happens whenever you have expediency over pragmatism. May your sister’s soul rest in peace.

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  2. Chitalu Chilufya has destroyed the Health system. Doctors have been demoralized and can not speak out because of intimidation. There are no medicines in Hospitals but health workers have been told not to voice out this concern or else its instant dismissal.

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  3. Anger, dismay, disbelief, shame ? are the only response I can exhibit.

    The Zambian health system needs a serious and responsible reform.

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  4. We said it here that Chitalu Chilufya has built medical hubs that don’t medicines but we have been called names. I don’t know if he has bewitched Edgar because the evidence of failure is so glaring. There are many qualified doctors that have endured salaries of interns since 2014, and these are the people that we expect to be at the front-line in health service delivery. People can’t speak because they’re scared, their Minister is a bully. There are many people that are dying premature deaths because of negligence. If you don’t take it upon yourselves as members of the family to ensure that your patients are attended to nothing will happen. Please listen to us for once

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  5. Awww poor lady, this sounds really awful and traumatic to the family. Rest in perfect peace young and intelligent legend.

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  6. These children – the beautiful Dr. Mulenga and her Doctor brother studied medicine abroad. They could have gone to work anywhere in the world but they decided to come home, to serve mother Zambia. They have been failed big time. My heart goes out to the family. No parent should ever have to bury their child. As for you in power – your days are numbered. If there is hell – there are no traffic lights for you on your way there.

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  7. Please God help us in this hands of Mr lungu’s government we don’t know where to run to, ministers are getting rich everyday yet no medicine in hospitals why God?

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  8. Very sad indeed, may the Lord continue comfort the family in these trying times. Zambia Medical Assn is a huge disappointment for not highlighting these serious challenges in our public health system. Why are they so cowardly in standing up to those who keep speaking grammar everyday contrary to whats obtaining in hospitals ? It’s a big betrayal by ZMA. Why fear one person like that ?

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  9. And we have the whole list of toothless associations – Zambia Medical Association, Resident Doctors Association, Pharmacy Association coupled with a clearly incompetent government. These hospitals in Zambia are hell, go to UTH and see the madness there, yes it is a bigger hospital with complexities but you still need skill, plan, strategy,competence and application to manage. The story of this doctor dying that way due to inadequacies is not an isolated case, and remember the current Minister of health is specially skilled at talking with always a clear variance of what he says and what is obtaining on the ground-FACT.

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  10. The country is done and dusted. The worst government since 1964, no doubt about it, of late even by PF cadres saying it in dark corners. We go to the same shops. I will remain partisan and judge objectively. Also school is important, a minister says the economy is doing well meanwhile economic indicators are saying the contrary. God help us….

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  11. The problem we have in Zambia is that we don’t love our jobs.Kabwe general hospital is the useless hopsital i have never seen.All those chaps working there should be transferred period.I remember one family losing a mother with twins there. The medicine is there but people we have steal and sell.It’s unfortunate.The minister can’t police everyone.We Zambians can do it.Let us stop stealing medicine in hospitals.

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  12. I remember one friend coming from West Africa at the height of Ebola with the current Minister being the deputy minister oh Health and busy propounding on ZNBC TV saying if you are coming from West Africa we will scrutinize you fully at Lusaka international airport, my friend who came from West Africa even saying even after declaring that I was from West Africa, they just let me pass with no questions, and he had to report to the Ministry about this ineptitude. Remember the current Minister just talks without checking what happens on the ground.

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  13. How many times hv we been told that healthcare has been improved by the PF government in Zambia? If one if their own could be subjected to this, wht do u think non-doctor patients are going through at Kabwe General Hospital? A video showing rats having a good time in a Kitwe Central Hospital ward led to a quick visit to the institution by the Minister of Health. Will the painful death of Dr Abigail Mulenga lead to a visit to Kabwe by Dr Chitalu Chilufya? After all Kabwe is nearer to Lusaka.

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  14. Mhsrip, a life would have been saved, heartfelt condolences to the family! You need connections to see a DR. at Kabwe hospital, even registrar ignore patients, clinical officers shout at patients. Just vitalcheck takes 30 min for one patient. It pains, seeing how patients suffer in the queue e.g from 7 am to 2pm and staffs walk freely with phones in corridors.

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  15. I think what is killing the ministry of Health is the current Minister. If somebody says there is no insulin in hospital, he will quickly say it is there. If somebody says there is no panadol at such a hospital he will quickly say it is there. What will help him is once he starts responding in a manner that says et me go and verify and revert. Then he will know whether it is really not there, and he will ascertain whether is lack of supply, or inadequate supply or pilferage.

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  16. She probably died of an acute bleed in the brain. She should have had a CT scan of her head as soon as she complained of head pain, BUT and this a big but, what would Kabwe General hospital have done if the diagnosis was confirmed? Oh, sorry, I forgot that Kabwe does not have a CT scanner, so she should have been transferred to ZAMBIA, or I mean Lusaka, where everything is found.

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  17. I pray that one day some of these ministers and President will become ill in a rural place and get admitted to a dinky general hospital. They shouldn’t die but just be maimed to be forever reminded of the mess they have created.

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  18. RIP my sister.
    But I am left perplexed with this story and am sorry to ask these questions.
    Why is the writer talking only about pain killers?
    What was causing the pain and why was that not attended to?
    Uhmmm really including a non payment of the salary over such a sad development sounds weird.

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  19. Some smaller hospital are effective and patients are attended to the Dr.s on Time even without connections. How many people are dying before their time just because there’s no one to attend to them on time? Or rather no one to connect them to the qualified Dr. It pains more, seeing how patients suffer as a relative and wasting hours at the hospital to be attended too.

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  20. Sorry to our dear doctor who lost her life, sad indeed. Sincere condolences to the family. I hope the Ministry will investigate this and please let lessons be learnt. Don’t rush to be defensive and if it was not negligence of any sort, let us move on. If it is true that there is something that went wrong, let us correct. Is it possible to put up a lean independent quality control inspection under lets say Ministry of Religious Affairs to be going round hospitals picking up salient issues. Ministry of Religious Affairs is currently not adding any value to the country, but why cant we use them differently.

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  21. Shameful and yet these degenerate thieves are out there parading riot equipment worth millions of dollars.
    They should all go to hell.

  22. Very sad indeed. Our hospitals have no medicines because GRZ has no money. What is surprising is that GRZ has money for party regalia. Go to Soweto Market, the section where fruits are sold, you will be shocked to see the number of PF materials that are hang along the road. Is this campaign time? PF is just concerned about winning elections.

  23. SAD AS IT MAY BE, BUT THAT IS HOW SHE ALSO USED TO TREAT PATIENTS WHILE SHE WAS WORKING THERE. OF COURSE I DONT WANT TO SAY TWO WRONGS CAN MAKE A RIGHT. LET US NOT DRAMATIZE THE SITUATION. SOMETIMES PATIENTS COME TO THE HOSPITAL SCREAMING AND SHOUTING IN PAIN. SHE IS NOT THE FIRST ONE. ITS JUST UNFORTUNATE THAT HER LIFE GOT LOST WHEN HER FAMILY AND THE NATION NEEDED HER THE MOST. MHSRIP

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  24. This death should not be politicized. May her precious soul rest in eternal peace and may the Almighty God comfort the bereaved family.

  25. Terribly terribly sad! At a time when the country needs her most. It is just that death is a mystery and does not choose who and when to strike

  26. Acute Subarachnoid hemorrhage! Did anyone in Kabwe pick that? How shameful that a key hospital like KGH does not have a simple CT or MRI scanner and yet it’s the first hospital to respond to trauma cases on John Highway! When we raise these concerns, some shallow minded hungry people say we don’t respect the Presidency? Only small persons go round demanding respect and recognition. Respect is not given freely like sweets. Respect is earned!

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  27. This is very sad and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends. We know that times like this can invoke feeling of anger. However, we would recommend awaiting investigation into what happened and how she was dealt with. It does not help anyone to make accusations of a failed system when no inquiry in the matter has been concluded. We are supporting the family in the ways we can. RIP. I have children myself and know how it must hurt but please stay strong.

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  28. This is very sad and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends. We know that times like this can invoke feeling of anger. However, we would recommend awaiting investigation into what happened and how she was dealt with. It does not help anyone to make accusations of a failed system when no inquiry in the matter has been concluded. We are supporting the family in the ways we can. RIP. I have children myself and know how it must hurt but please stay strong. Kaizar

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  29. This is a failed state which has borrowed billions of dollars to build a dual carriage way from Lusaka to Ndola that has never finished yet the money is finished .A system of government that has borrowed money to build a new state of the art Airport at Kenneth Kaunda Airport which has not gone to plan yet the money has finished on some building project in Swaziland and mansions dotted around Lusaka near state house .A shambolic system that sends thieves across the boarders for medical treatment whcih could be offered at UTH and Kitwe central Hospitals which have now been infested with rats .

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  30. Such a sad story.
    Another innocent life wasted due to poor public health services in Zambia.
    They are spending million of dollars to put up big humps in Lusaka and bill boards promoting bill 10.
    Yet the public hospitals don’t have simple drugs like panadol.
    Anyway thats the “new normal” under ECL and the PF.

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  31. What a waste of human talent. It takes so many years to train a doctor and we can let someone die like a fly. Just unbelievable. I feel so angry and cannot look at the picture of this beautiful lady again. It feels like looking at one of my own daughters. It is just so sad. May God the almighty strengthen the family. RIP Abigail.

  32. The late president Michael Chilufya sata at one time was minister of health under MMD he managed health institutions very well compared to this degree holders like honorable Chilufya ,late sata changed every things hospitals were very clean and stocked with drugs and security was fixed at health institutions ,Your Excellency Dr ECL replace honorable Chilufya with honorable Lusambo to sweep this health institutions, hospitals will change in short time try Honorable Lusambo.

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  33. TEARGAS CANISTERS AND WATER CANON VEHICLES OR PAINKILLERS AND EQUIPMENT IN HOSPITALS.

    YOU ARE MINISTER OF FINANCE WHERE WOULD YOU SPEND YOU DOLLAR?

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  34. Meanwhile Chilufya is busy splashing and flashing cash all over….$17 million to brifcse pharmaceutical

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  35. This Pathetic. Zambia the real Africa. Come October they celebrate 56 Years of Independence
    Any yet there are No drugs in hospitals no proper medical care.Even so what’s the significance of NHI?

  36. This is the reason why corrupt clueless Lungu and his equally corrupt minions have to go. Zambians, we can do better than this. Please mobilize, Let’s us all unite and vote this useless PF administration out. If this hospital can’t care for one of their own, can you imagine what happens to common Zambian people? This is unacceptable. Useless PF criminals must go. We need an efficient and effective administration.

  37. First, condolences go to Mr. and Mrs. Mulenga and family. Dr. Abigail did not have to die if drugs and medicines were available. No Zambian or any resident need to go the way Dr Abigail Mulenga went. May her soul Rest In Peace. Wrong priorities has cost a life of the doctor and reduced a number of Doctors in Zambia. Another sad part is, we do not hear of ordinary citizens or poor people who die like Dr. Mulenga. What is wrong with us?

  38. This here is what I was saying when that guy went crazy at UTH and everyone condemned him – most people dont know the problems at these institutions and the government does not care.

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  39. Hospital staff are busy selling hospital drugs the govt buys.
    My own experience is rampant theft of drugs at Ndola Central Hospital psychiatric department.
    They must be investigated.!

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  40. We are living dangerously in this country!
    Not long ago it was Rat infestation in kitwe.
    Now we could not pay the young doctor for the Two months she was working.
    Worse we could not save her dear life.
    If a doctor can negligently die at the hands of colleagues, what happens to a poor patient?
    Ubuntu is missing in this country!
    If green grass burns like dry grass, what happens to dry grass?

  41. During a pandemic no single priority for a medical doctor? Didn’t chilufya say all provinces are fully equipped to care & protect both front soldiers in this fight against C19. These guys just come on TVs to tell lies, this is a clear indication that hospitals are doing nothing at all bcz the government is busy with campaigns using covid donations. Their main concern is 2021. They are fully equipping the Police with hardware to intimidate citizens. God save us from this evil pathetic failures party. Worst government of all times.

  42. Really sad loosing a Doctor at that tender age.MHSRIP.
    Youth empowerment money is available but no drugs in hospitals
    – Money for compaign is available but no
    drugs in hosptitals.
    – Road rehabilitation in top gear but no
    medicine in hospitals and health
    personel no salary and other cases not
    comfirmed.
    The list is endless on how our beloved country zambia has been messed up

  43. This government doesn’t know what is on the table they think there is still more people to fool by broking opposition parties on big televising stations and radio stations such as znbc and they think by so doing they’re safe they’re are blackmailing Zambian citizens forgetting that the time they were coming in power there were little person using media but this time around even my grandmother/grandpa sitting next to me by the village is using media and is able to see their foolishness.

  44. What an absolute disgrace, and PF is directly to blame for this systemic failure. Her blood is on their hands.

  45. The painful part is lungu buys the police expensive heavy military equipment never seen before yet people are dying in hospitals for lack of medicines while rats are running wards in other hospitals…..

    When we telling you that lungu is not the man for the job , they called us bitter……

    You ain’t seen nothing yet…..

  46. So sad. A number of factors must be looked at:

    Why do you in govt continue to buy luxury items such as expensive luxury SUVs when you have hospitals without medicine??? Why??? I fail to understand the logic and the greed behind such behaviour and how short sighted this is. Don’t you realise that by doing this you are only killing yourselves as one day you too will be in that govt hospital which doesn’t have adequate medicines and equipment. Even an anti riot vehicle or fire engine has more use than a luxury SUV.

    Also the care our nurses provide in these govt hospitals must be under scrutiny, let those who TRUELLY care for the sick and injured continue in this profession and those who don’t care but only want a job please resign and allow those who TRUELLY have a calling to…

  47. Take your abortion pills seriously, you could give birth to a president. Take your pull out game seriously, you could just squirt out a president.

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