Saturday, April 20, 2024

Health workers resolve to stop voluntary work, demand letters of employment

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Members of a Consortium of 12 Health Professional Associations have resolved to stop volunteering and demand that they receive their letters of employment by 18th February this year.

Chairperson for the Consortium Chairperson Dr. Brian Sampa said this follows “loose” statements or promises that have been made by officials from the Ministry of Health from last year but haven’t yielded anything.

Dr. Sampa said that if the government fails to issue the health practitioners with letters, members of the consortium will march to the State House to seek audience and intervention from President Hakainde Hichilema.

“We would also like to condemn comments regarding prioritizing volunteers, the best and those with the right working attitude in the recruitment process as recruitment should offer equal opportunities for all, especially that these are entry-level positions,” he said.

“We also urge our general members to remain calm as we wait for a positive response from the Ministry of Health during the period 9th February 2022 – 18th February 2022.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Sampa said the recruitment of health workers should be done in formality, transparency, and a hastened way by the Ministry.

In a statement issued to the media today, Dr. Sampa said the employment of health workers is long overdue.

Member organizations of the Consortium are Resident Doctors Associations of Zambia (RDAZ), Zambia Society of Physiotherapy (ZSP), Radiological Society of Zambia (RSZ), Biomedical Society of Zambia (BMSZ), Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia (PSZ), Zambia Medical Licentiate Practitioners Association (ZMLPA), Clinical Officers’ Association of Zambia (COAZ), Public Health Association of Zambia (PHAZ), Zambia Institute of Environmental Health (ZIEH), Dental Therapy Society of Zambia (DTSZ) and Zambia Association for Science Laboratory Technology (ZASLT) and Zambia Association of Biological Scientists.

16 COMMENTS

  1. You are within your constitutional rights. There’s a lot of propaganda on employment of teachers and health workers and we should brace ourselves for self praise. BMW!! Nipano Tuli!!

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  2. Calm down and chill, all is well. Don’t push the government to react. Why were you doing that during the long time you stayed without employment under the PF, why now. Let the opposition not cheat you. As for you Brian, your license was even revoked or is it cancelled. Government has said it will employ about 11,200 health workers this year. What you want to do now should be done next year in February if the Government does not live up to its promise, poor timing, poor timing. Wait patiently, if nothing happens that is when you get involve the relevant authorities, don’t behave as if you are still a student at UNZA who should riot at every slight provocation, chill.

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  3. Chikonko be remided that these guys who working for mahala also have bills to pay. You can only volunteer for a certain period beyond that you will need to be paid.

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  4. OK. So Brian grew bigger after being tossed out of the RDAZ ka? That’s what happens. Go forth and articulate your leadership sir.

  5. Brian, you thought you knew it all. Lets what the Newdoni will do for you . They lied and they have continued lying. May be they meant 2023 Bugdet.

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  6. We will recruit all the doctors by January 2022 ………..Yeahhhhhhhh yeahhhhh,,,,,,Newdoni Newdoni!!!!! Nipano tuli

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  7. I always wonder how useless the PF were to lose the election because of unemployment when there over 41,000 jobs in civil service. How can you lose such an opportunity…..
    Are these jobs really available?

  8. Someone promises you that they will do something for you or they will give you something , instead of you waiting until they give you that thing or until you are given that thing, you begin to pester, trouble and provoke the one who has promised to give you that thing. Are you being sincere and realistic here. Wait until they give you, if they don’t give you remind them that they promised. The giver is not under any obligation to give you. Same applies to Government, its not under any obligation to employ anyone, they just promised that they will employ, yours is to wait patiently. There is no law that obliges the government to employ anyone,

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  9. Volunteering is voluntary, hence the name. No one is forced to volunteer. You can’t volunteer then start demanding an a letter of employment. Doesn’t make sense

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  10. The UPND promised jobs for medical staff by January 2022. If these volunteers continue providing free service it implies that they are covering the UPND on their promise because the gap will not be felt [seen]. Volunteers must be employed or else withdraw their labor so that the UPND should bite the bullet.

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  11. CHIKONKO February 9, 2022 At 10:47 am
    Someone promises you that they will do something for you or they will give you something , instead of you waiting until they give you that thing or until you are given that thing, you begin to pester, trouble and provoke the one who has promised to give you that thing……….JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE UN-EDUCATED

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  12. Just wait and be patient, all health workers will be employed eventually. PF duped trained health workers to work as volunteers. UPND will employ all health workers to earn wages.

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  13. All those advising health workers to be patient are not real in offering checks to the Nyudoni govt. Do you know that the hungry stomach has no patience? The cost of living is ever accelerating at an alarming speed due to fuel increase. lets be real to sympathize and empathize with our brothers and sisters who are claiming to have been sweet-talked by BMW.

  14. Why would you pay for 11000 employees when you can dangle the carrot and have 40000 for free. The numbers are made up to demonstrate a point. People should be paid for their work. This is why people leave zambia. These doctors and nurses need to pay bills also

  15. Bwafya sana that everyone looks to government for employment than elsewhere. The private sector has its own limitations when it comes to employing professionals. I wonder why some of these professionals awaiting governments’ postings are not settling for less and try their luck with private run institutions. Of course there is a challenge all round in an economy that is faring poorly and the private sector may be the worst hit! Instead of demanding menacingly from government these health workers representing bodies could be asking/negotiating release from bonding to enable searching for employment elsewhere if unforeseen hurdles are stalling recruitment.

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