Government will soon constitute a Presidential Medical Unit to look into the health of the Head of State.
Health Minister Joseph Kasonde announced in parliament today that such a body would be headed by a person who will be appointed by President Edgar Lungu including other support staff.
Dr. Kasonde said appointing a Physician to the President is the best way to institutionalize an autonomous office to look into the health of a sitting Republican President and future Heads of State.
Dr Kasonde said the physician shall be mandated to have access to all military and non-military health facilities and also background of a clinical practice.He said the appointed Physician would be accorded military status in the event that he/she is appointed from outside the defence.
Dr. Kasonde said the Physician shall not normally be in dialogue with members of the general public concerning the health of the Head of State.He explained that the Unit would have a channel of information through a relevant spokesperson.
Last week, Vice-President Inonge Wina disclosed that Government was considering to institutionalize a medical body to look into the health of President Edgar Lungu.
Ms Wina says a medical body will be the right one to authorize and advise government on any illness of the Head of State.
The Vice President said the practice has been that the Head of State chooses his own medical team to take care of his health hence institutionalizing the Presidential physician was timely.
Ms. Wina told the House that countries in the world have set such medical bodies that look into and protects the health of their presidents hence Zambia following suit to establish one.
She disclosed that to avoid speculations from members of the general public, the Minister of Health Dr. Joseph Kasonde would soon issue a ministerial statement when the medical body will be established.
Ms. Wina stated that Government wants to be transparent on the health of the Head of State but noted that some statements were of bad taste and injuring the integrity of the Head of State.
President Lungu has been updating the nation on his health because he wants to be transparent and recently underwent specialist treatment in a South African hospital to correct a narrowing of the food pipe which caused him to fall ill on March 8 during celebrations to mark the International Women’s Day at the Heroes Stadium.
Following the President’s illness, the Zambia Medical Association proposed that the office of a Physician General should be created to look into the health of a Head of State.
Please stop this nonsense. Don’t waste taxpayers’ money on useless feel good projects. Just improve the nation’s medical facilities.
Feel good projects is the operative phrase. If ka Lungu has medical issues this unit won’t save his behind. He will still be making trip to South Africa or wherever for those check-ups. Wasting money left and right.
This Lungu of yours has a walking stick which shouLd prevent him for kugwa! and he has a number of witch doctors,,,, please do not waste money on a know drankard, who cant listen to Dr Ludwig Sondashi`s advice to stop drinking moba but instead drink formula!
What needs to be formed is an Anti Evacuation of Politicians to Foreign Hospitals and Vetting of State Funerals!
Do you need all this, why cant he just resign?! What a shame!
Revamp UTH ,waste of money if you ask me.
We voted for a drunkard. How cantankerous that was!
@Ndobo, kekekekeke that Sondashi formulae is not for us drunkards. The beer which treats other beers/alcohol hangovers is CHINIKA beer. Their president Lungu should be allowed to drink publicly, atleast Chinika.
Back to WITCHDOCTOR they want to employ for Lungu and the likes, I could like to apply. Is it Dr. Kasonde accepting applications or it is Bo Inonge?
This is being called out of our experience of voting in medically unfit presidents. The solution now lies in voting for medically fit individuals to hold the position of president.
This unit will not be necessary if only we subjected our presidential candidates to comprehensive medical check ups and vet them out if they failed the medical test before elections. Remember they are not presidents yet at that stage so there no repercussions to the Board of Doctors vetting.
Where will this Presidential Medical Unit be based, Milpark Hospital RSA or China?
@London…. You really want to kick PF in their balls. The Witchdoctor is not to treat the sickly president and those to come after him soon. The witchdoctor will take responsibility of misdiagnose easy cases like HO to:
– Fatigue
– Malaria
– Acanacia
– Low sugar
– diabetes
– kidney fuilure
When us who have fainted briefly before after watching women swinging hips, while nursing an hangover, knows for real that you need a gallon of Chibuku or Chinika in morning. Lungu didn’t take that that day. Today we are paying for it.
I WANT TO APPLY FOR THE JOB!!!!
Do you need all this, why cant he just resign?! What a shame!
A good move. But the government should also consider forming a Burial Team which will prepare the grave at Embasy Park in advance. This will reduce the number of mourning weeks from 3 to 1 especially to non performing presidents like Edgar Chagwa Agwa Lungu.
Forming a Burial Team will also ignite alot of hope in many Zambians that the most hated president in the history of Zambia is about to die and put to rest.
Excellent and about time.
MGWILENI AZAGWA UYO
Bembas will not like this bcoz it will block a pathway for them to regain the presidency asap.
Watch out because Bembas feel very jealous and bitter at losing power and momentum to build their Bemba hegemony over Zambians akin to what the Kikuyus have done in kenya since their independence.
Zoona? Ati kupusa tu Bemba utu!
Legendary stupidity
I forgive you because you think anyone who speaks a language which is similar to Bemba or anyone with a Bemba sounding name is a Bemba. To me, the only Bembas I recognise are the ones who come from Ku Lubemba.
Tupangileni fye ifipatala naifwe fwe bashili ba ntamba Lukuta tukabenefiteko.
Aaron there is your job now. You have been instrumental in this agenda and as my unit promised, we have facilitated the establishment of the board.
I hope this is my tym nw,i hav been shuned for so long nw.thank you your excellency
Unheard of! I remember our retired presidents Moi and Kibaki each being admitted in Nairobi Hospital being presidents ,They were with other patients and nobody treated them any special, Let them learn it the general way. Such a board is another channel of draining the already ailing Zambian economy.
What medical unit…! This is just a clear testimony that am disblessed to be a Zambia as there are so many filish people in all directions including among the educated!
So this may underway coz bo inonge said in parliament..As a saying by one blog being Zambian president is nw healthy hazard.i.e one have to deal with health problems.