President Hakainde Hichilema says it is unacceptable to have shortage of drugs in hospitals when money meant to procure drugs is lying in the bank.
President Hichilema attributed the current drug shortages in some hospitals to poor management by those responsible as government has already provided funds for procurement of drugs.
And President Hichilema is displeased with the poor state of Kitwe Teaching Hospital.
Speaking in Kitwe yesterday when he toured Kitwe Teaching Hospital, President Hichilema said it was unacceptable for the hospital to be lacking basic medical equipment and beds which do not even cost much.
He has since directed Copperbelt Medical Officer, Charles Mwinuna and Kitwe Teaching Hospital management to present to his office a checklist of the areas that urgently need attention so that they can be addressed.
“We have heard all the challenges that you have presented and we are going to address them, we will fix them, we are are here to work for you,” he said.
Earlier, Kitwe Teaching Hospital Medical Superintendent, Albidan Chansa said the Hospital has only one emergency operating room shared for all medical specialties which makes it difficult to attend to emergency cases.
Dr Chansa also stated that the hospital roof is damaged while the hospital structure base pipes are corroded.
He however thanked government for releasing money for the overhauling of the water and sewer system.
“We are grateful to your government for providing the funds for the project to overhaul the water and sewer system and we have received K2.3 million, we also have a challenge with the maternity room as we have only one maternity room and sometimes we get overwhelmed so we just put mattresses on the floor for some patients,” he said.
And Dr Chansa requested for increased funding to Kitwe Teaching Hospital which he said was receiving as many people as 800 in a day.
President Hakainde Hichilema is on a two day working visit on the Copperbelt where he is touring developmental projects.
Who is responsible for the shortage? I bet it is Edgar Lungu and PF?
You have been in power for more than one year and you have Executive Power to call the shots. You guys have given every excuse at every junction on this issue. Why is someone sitting on this money. Sadly the buck stops at you. This is more important than making frequent trips to the copperbelt to woo voters. You are spending excessive resources, time and energy trying to ensure you get those two parliamentary seats ignoring the reports about lack of medicine and people are dying. This is not incompetence but being SATANIC.
His utterance clearly shows that he he’s got low regard of our intelligence.
I still blame Lungu for having delivered power to this man literary on a silver plate…..or Sata for having given us Lungu.
The president is raising an issue at Kitwe General Hospital pretending to be the good guy – but he is just using it to campaign for the seat in Kwacha. If he has heard about it, why did he not send directives to buy beds when he has been to the Copperbelt many times? Beside, he knew this issue while in opposition because he had addressed the issue strongly on the campaign trail. This president thinks we cannot read his mind and taking us for foools. It’s a typical playbook used by politicians, and all past presidents have used the same satanic templates.
Independent Observer…we call this throwing one’s colleague under the bus. People will say THE PRESIDENT IS A GOOD PERSON. IT’S THE MINISTER ETC WHO ARE MAKING US SUFFER
Deja Vu 1.4
You nailed it. This is not being human when the president has busy making private visits to SA on book launches, while people have been dying due to no medicine,
Hahaha some people think that Zambians are foo.ls! Ok Continue to foo.l us! Why must money be kept in the bank while people are dying! We are not kids
The fake accounts on social media, decieves them, that they are still popular.
Masebo must resign.
Hahaha some people think that Zambians are foo.ls! Ok Continue to foo.l us! Why must money be kept in the bank while people are dying! We are not kids
Ok.
He thinks we’re children.
so by elections are a wake up call
Mr. President you have an incomptent minister of health. Do not beat about the bush. just take action and give us a minister who will make things happen. Not one who always talking but no action.
There are better qualified people to run the ministry than madam Masebo. Please move her to community development.
Money in the bank and people are dying???? Mr. President tell us which bank. We go get the money and buy our panadol
If you had cycled to campaign in kabushi and kitwe like the way the former British prime minister used to cycle to parliament for question time you would have saved a lot of money to deter shortage of medicines in the hospital.Mr President walk the talk you told us to get note books to record your progress but we are noting a lot of mistakes and 2026 is not far
if you say money is there laying in the bank so the minister in charger doesn’t know that, its surprising why go tell the people ati money is laying mu ma bank i feel this is a unfar statement
The way I used to perceive him I didn’t expect him to become a comptent liar… lying with a straight face.
The minister in charge of health is not up to the job………
Just like the one at information and broadcasting………….the tasks are beyond them.
It is unacceptable that you continue to preside over this nations affairs when you have clearly failed the people. Resign on moral grounds
All of you PF cadres above, you had the Corrupt and incompetent Chilufya on this post for so many years and non of you here raised a single dirty finger of yours. Now with Masebo in office for just a year, you want to be the loudest. Atase! kwamene ukko! foetsek! Masebo is going nowhere. We suffered with her all the way while you cadres were enjoying, few women suffered like that till the end, she never gave up, she is a freedom fighter. We had Maureen Mwanawasa, Guy Scott’s wife, etc but where are they now? Leave Masebo alone, and you monkeys dare touch our Nalumango? I swear God!
You are a mad cow
Stop employing doctors as hospital managers unless they have managerial qualifications. Pharmacists are even better trained as managers, I mean degree holding pharmacists and not technicians. Appoint business sarvy people to run hospitals. Meanwhile open up the pay scale for doctors so that senior doctors with experience can be paid as much as they are worth. A consultant’s salary in South Africa can rise up to K800,000 per year, which is 3 times more than in Zambia.
It comes from the CITIZENRY not the politicians. As Zambians we are used to low standards and zero-sum games. Everything is brinkmanship. Ati iyayi the bed is OK even if it only has three legs. Such nonsense subsists in our psyche. This is why ma politicians have loads of space to steal from the citizens because even road maintenance is a game of extremes — until a few deaths, or disastrous potholes happen no one cares. This President knows and it is ENOUGH of expressing shock now. You MUST raise the standards from above … and good luck to your stress levels while doing so.
We need to change the way our hospitals are managed. Stop employing doctors as hospital managers unless they have managerial qualifications. Pharmacists are even better trained as managers, I mean degree holding pharmacists and not technicians. Appoint business sarvy people to run hospitals. Meanwhile open up the pay scale for doctors so that senior doctors with experience can be paid as much as they are worth. A consultant’s salary in South Africa can rise up to K800,000 per year, which is 3 times more than in Zambia.
Is he knowing it for the first time or just campaign
Ule bepa tata…bufi! Which cbak tell us. You mean Masebo does not know this bank?
Liar liar like always
Iwe Masebo…..!!! Kanshi the money is there ? Why are you not buying the drugs? Do you enjoy to see people dying due lack of drugs in the hospitals?
Mulekwatako no luse twapapata. One MPs brother died due to lack of insulin in the hospital…and yet the money is in the bank. Shame!!!!
The shortage of drugs was caused by HH attacking all drug suppliers and withholding payments from the supply done under PF. Now no supplier wants to deal with HH and UPND. There cannot get into new contracts without payment for what they have already supplied. This is the same way HH thought he can do without China.
You used to laugh the previous government now what you telling us? How many lives has been lost due to the same? Even smaller things like silages they don’t have its a shameful
You used to laugh the previous government now tell us how lives has been lost due to the same. Things seem to be easy when looking at them now do it yourself is the issue comes
The money sent to the hospitals and District Health offices is a grant ment for the day to day running of the institutions. Only 15% of the said money is for supplementary drugs or medical/surgical supplies. This is what the president is not being told right. Grants are not for buying drugs just supplementary ones. Drugs are provided centrally by ZAMSA which only brings donated condoms.
How bad should the situation get for government act with sincerity?
The praise and hon. Masebo said there is enough medicine..since the govt released the money. The president say there is no medicine whi is saying the truth? Who is eating the money..Bring bongo hives ..we never lacked