Health workers in Mazabuka want government to send independent auditors to investigate the alleged financial scandal that has rocked the Mazabuka District Health Office.
The health staff, who sought anonymity for fear of possible intimidation and harassment, said in Mazabuka today that government as a matter of urgency should send auditors to look into the books of accounts for the district office.
They alleged that some named senior health managers and programme officers paid themselves hefty subsistence allowances during the Cholera outbreak, despite having not spent nights at Chivuna, Lubombo and Kaleya Cholera centres.
They warned that failure to intervene would compel them to shun any recruitment of officers to handle any disease outbreak especially the ‘Swine flu’ which is now posing a threat to African countries, Zambia inclusive.
“Some of us who worked throughout the outbreak period and spending nights were only paid K 45,000 as night allowance while those that worked in the day were paid K 35,000 and the senior managers paid themselves K 285,000 per night when they did not work,” they charged.
The workers said they are ready to cooperate with the auditors by providing incriminating evidence against the culprits because of the high levels of theft of public funds.
They also disclosed that funds that were released by the Centre for Infectious Disease and Research in Zambia, an American Non Governmental Organisation to motivate staff at the Anti retro-viral therapy clinic working for long hours had been grossly abused.
According to impeccable sources, a named medical doctor was only spotted at the clinic each time funds were released and would immediately return after receiving payment.
“Why is the ministry of health failing to deal with people stealing public funds. Does it mean the managers are being used by some big fish within the ministry,” asked a clinical officer who sought anonymity.
The sources added that no medical doctor has visited the ART clinic in the last three months and people enrolled for ART treatment were being attended to by clinical officers, who are now over loaded with work.
ZANIS
