RDAZ president Dr Brian Sampa has been summoned to appear at the Zambia Police Headquarters in Lusaka today.
Dr.Sampa’s unpopularity with the government and police started in May when the Resident Doctors Association Association resolved to go on a “go -slow” after a virtual meeting held on the 19th May,2021. The doctors wanted to press government to pay the K150 million owed in arrears arising from unpaid gratuities and settling in allowances accrued from 2015.
The doctors also wanted government to clearly state when it shall commence the recruitment of doctors as 530 qualified doctors still remain unemployed.
“We need to recruit new doctors. The current Doctor-Patient ratio stands at 1 to 12,000 and this is unacceptable. The 530 unemployment doctors can all be absorbed by the system and we can’t still have a shortfall of 3,000 more doctors. Government just needs to do the correct thing and employ these doctors who were trained a high cost.”
Dr Sampa who was just recently elected as RDAZ President a few weeks prior said the doctors had resolved to press on with their demands because government has shown lack of willingness to address the issues.
“From 2015, these issues have been with government, the team which was there before me even produced a Position Paper which was even tabled in Cabinet but up to now, nothing is happening. We have escalated the matter to the highest office in the land and we cannot continue like this,” Dr Sampa said.
Dr.Sampa said doctors are not motivated because they are not getting what they are working for.
If a government reaction was what the doctors were hoping to elicit they got more than they bargained for by the heavy handed response from the Government and the Inspector General of Police.
The Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja threatened doctors who attended the Zoom meeting with Dr.Sampa arrest for attending the “illegal meeting”. Civil Society and doctors were alarmed by these threats and asked IG Kanganja to quote the laws he based his threats on, as the HPCZ license is needed for one to touch a patient and anything done outside patient duties including teaching, talking to other doctors is not tied to the license.
The Secretary General of RDAZ Dr Chikonde, was then arrested by police at Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital on 30th May and charged with Espionage and transported to Lusaka.After the intervention from senior doctors, RDAZ,ZMA and Chapter One foundation Dr.Chikonde was released and all charges dropped 24 hours later.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga weighed in on the Go slow during an interview on HOT FM by saying putting government under duress is a wrong route and we will not give them(doctors) any desired result. Ministry of Labour and Social Security Permanent Secretary Chanda Kaziya said the current go-slow by resident doctors was against the law.
“There is no provision in the law that grants an essential worker to withhold labour even if they are unhappy with their working conditions,” he said.He explained that the doctors should have used the court or the Ministry of Labour as a mediator in airing out their grievances instead of risking lives of many people seeking medical services.
On the 30th May Boniface Chimbwali, Permanent Secretary Public Service Management Division, said that RDAZ’s demands for Salary arrears for the 309 Doctors, dismantling of arrears and gratuities for medical Doctors, creation of positions for Senior Resident Medical Officers, Registrars and Consultants and Recruitment of 500 newly graduated medical doctors, had been addressed which included the Ministry including the creation of promotional positions in the Treasury Authority No. 5 and 6 of 2021 and in the 2022 Budget submission to be tabled before Parliament in September, 2021.
The oppressive regime trying to crush anyone who raises their voice
They have already dismissed Dr Sampa and yet they are still chasing him around to completely finish him off. This man is not politician but a technocrat who should be treated as such. His demands are were well justified and there was simply no need to get to this extent. This is not progressive as it is simply being done to silence those voices that demand what is rightly theirs. It is sad that anyone who raises such important issues that the govt has failed to handle is silenced by all means possible.
He behaved like a politician so he is being treated as such
What now,our humble, God fearing, forgiving, Christian government?
Martin, I suppose you live in a country where people are respected and treated according to the rule of law. I also suppose that you still have a bunch of relatives in Zambia, lelo no Sampa but mailo it will be your relative. What is wrong is wrong. Samoa was within his rights to protest poor working conditions, please be objective
Don’t intimidate him and leave him alone since you’ve fired him.
What else do you want from him?
Edgar Lungu takapite and we shall reinstate him.
PF must go!
When FTJ was at ZCTU such thing couldn’t be allowed to happen even if the worker wasn’t even a members of the Union. The PF just like the UPND are extreme in everything they do but they’re also incorrigible. Both can’t be advised. Whether it’s HE Pamunyoko Chikkala in State House or ECL we should expect things to be even worse after elections
The guy has become political….he must be treated like one. Harrass him, cage hime etc. That is polotics. Tapali ifya bu dokota!
In zambia it is a crime to ask for your entitlements. You are better off waiting for empowerment funds.
This is like trying grow hair on an egg. The resident Doctors have called off their strike or go slow and trooped back to the wards. One wonders why the police want to press charges against Dr. Brian Sampa as if he was acting in his individual capacity. The matter has been resolved and if charges are preferred against Dr..Sampa may draw symphaphy from fellow doctors calling for another go slow. This matter will be better handled by the PS of Health as the doctors services are urgently needed. These men are just brewing more unpopularity for ECL and PF given the situation obtaining on the ground. Dealing with doctors is not like with UNZA, CBU etc students who are still in incubation. The situation in our medical facilities is not ok seeing or making an appointment with a doctor is as…
All the concerns the RDAZ raised are genuine and have been going on since 2015. It is regrettable that this affects access to health services by patients, but the blame lies squarely on the inept ‘I don’t care attitude’ government. It’s this regime that should be condemned – it’s disgraceful. They get to go out for treatment and do not care about the quality at home. To make matters worse, where do the Police come in on this? How preposterous that we have an IG placing his snout in matters that are between govt. and professional bodies. An illegal zoom? We know Kanganja rides shotgun for the PF, but this, like other recent stu.pidity, takes the biscuit.
Be strong Dr Sampa ,the Whole nation is behind you.What you do ,is god’s work.Be Strong & hang in there .
This Corrupt Criminal Enterprise of a Government would rather misappropriate tax payers money on corruptly procured,over priced Chinese infrastructure projects, than recruit an employed doctors or pay arrears rightfully owed to you.
Remember,every dog has its day .The day of reckoning is fast Approaching
Summoned for what?. You can’t say anything in Zambia and you are summoned by police. Why is police involved in the harassment of a professional? Niye democracy?
@My point …as do you…my relatives behave themselves within the confines of the law as should everyone else…in your view I will only be objective if I agree with you? You know better given we both apparently live home away from home.