By Chanda Mwenya
It is pleasing to note how Zambia’s first lady Thandiwe Banda seems to have a heart for motherhood. This is seen in her expression of concern over the high number of women dying as a result of pregnancy and childbirth due to lack of transport means to convey them to health centres. What is sad though, is her revelation that, in Zambia one woman dies every four hours due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.
On the other hand, over 50% of expectant mothers are attended to by non-qualified personnel, Thandiwe revealed. This is a situation which she says needs to be resolved with urgency. The first lady reaffirmed her motherly concern earlier this week when Zambike presented her with three bicycle ambulances at State House.
Well I find the whole ‘Zambulance’ thing as the newly invented Zambian Bicycle ambulances are tagged, to be an insult to the welfare of Zambians and the integrity of the country’s health programmes. While I admire Zambike’s initiative and their generous donation of the said ambulances, it is very foolish of the government to exhibit them with delight at State House, when a few months ago it purchased 100 brand new hearses.
I honestly fail to see the logic in rushing someone to the grave in an imported 4WD hearse while innocent lives are pushed and lost on bicycle drawn deathbeds in the name of local innovation.Worse still,
expectant mother are left to give birth in public. Meanwhile Zambike Marketing Manager, who handed over the infamous ambulances at state House, further observed that many women, who die from midwifery related complications, die as a result of walking long distances to health centers. However it is hoped that Zambulance will mitigate this problem in the rural areas.
However, my conviction is that Zambians should not only
receive equal but good health services including those in rural areas, and not subjecting them to these primitive and hazardous wagons which government is shamelessly promoting as ambulances. All the government priorities are to gain political mileage on the maginalised rural population.
On the other hand, the Zambian government has upheld the purchase of hearses so as to “help” Zambians bury their loved ones in a dignified manner. I believe only a fool would want to live in abject poverty, die in anguish and in the end get a glorious ride to the grave. In real sense the purchase of hearses was a bad decision which needs to be questioned, because it was not made in the interest of the general public.
Well, if an ambulance is anything that can ambulate someone to the hospital then it will be wiser and more effective to use even the newly acquired hearses. Then the Zambulances can be spared to boost the fleet of Zamcabs on our streets. Actually some concerned citizens have suggested to use them to ambulate Kachasu victims back to their sanctuaries-As long as the Zambulances are tagged ‘Get a ride at your at own risk’.
That’s what I also think, but I observed that most Bloggers don’t think so.
imagine a pregnant woman pali ka Zambulance on those gravel roads. Teti wapapila na munshila.
Walasa Chanda Mwenya! The Hearses was just one way of the Senior Government officials to steal money
In this day and age, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves. we are buying Katenga malilos instead of ambulances. We are going back to the stone age. This is not an invention to be proud of. Why didn;t the first lady ride one if she thought it was such a good idea. Our people maybe destitue but they deserve some respect instead of insults to their intelligence.
I think Zambulance is best suited for Igoigo boys in town who, for lack of transport, ferry a variety of cargo including secondhand shoes and clothes(salaula,) bags of kapenta, cabbage, etcetera on their shoulders. They’re ominous to any patient who needs due care and attention before seeing a doctor.
These criticisms are reasonable, especially w/regard to hearses taking priority over proper ambulances in procurement, however we must not condemn bandages just because sutures exist, or cholera treatment just because proper sanitation can prevent it. The Zambulance idea is good mainly because it can be deployed quickly, cheaply, and widely. How many lives do they have to save before they pay for themselves? Certainly the ultimate fate of such devices will be to carry small cargoes and not people, but I do not blame Zambikes for recognizing that to focus on cargo transport while injured people walk is equivalent to the focus on the bodies of the dead over those of the living.
I hope they are not the ones RB referred to as Mobile Hispitals!!!!!
Next time please let RB be transported to morningside clinic by Zambulance, infact Teta should have been transported with the same Zambulance!!!!
Bloggers
Its is all fine to talk as long as we are not directly affected. The moment we are affected and do not have the means to take our loved ones to the hospital, then even the zambulance will be a necessary option. The only problem with all this is that GRZ will be content with the zambulances without thinking of getting people proper transport that will get them to health centres in timely and safe ways.
Can you imagine the speed of towing that that stretcher with medics on the sides. We are not in the stone age. What mechanical advantage has this got. I would rather ask the traditional birth attendant to help. Village statistics are in all drictricts so let them train traditional birth attendants and put them payroll
#4 you are very right. This initiative would have well suited hawkers to encourage hygiene and mobility. Can you imagine that thing honestly carring a woman in labour on pothole or gravel roads. I dont know?
This is the worst kind of treating citizens.
Innovation stems from converting knowledge into something valuable and useful for the majority of the people. People relate to innovations differently according to the way they adapt to the invented products. The Germans would say: “ein Mann’s Lust ist des Anderen Frust” meaning “what was created as a blessing to some, becomes a curse to the others”.
Why don’t we get inspired to invent something better than Zambulance instead of criticising the masterpiece of someone else? I rest my case.
#3 Logic, I agree with you, this government has taken the country back to the stone age. The people are treated like objects. Sometimes I wonder, does Mr Rupiah Banda ever sit down to reflect on the mess he has put the country in. I think he has a mental problem.
Bloggers the problems of health sector and ambulances are a problem that Rupiah found when he entered the office of Vice president actually it has been a problem from days of independence Admitedlly the situation of health is pathetic and annoying and that is the more reason why every intevention is neccessary. It certainly better for a pregnant woman to go by bike to hospital then walking. You just need to go to any of our shanty compounds and you will se how usefull the bikes will be.
Probably its also got to do with out attitude, you see contries like India and China who have better and faster growing economies than our would have no problem accapting such interventions
Ba no. 12 ‘Nine Chale’ naimwe muli bafwaka sana.
Stone age invention in 2009? Not even your Germans would be that fullish to praise such.
Maybe Bwezani and Kunda want to see more women giving birth in public so that they have “free pornography”.
#12. Nine Chale. A better Ambulance was invented long before Zambulance and this is why we are saying this government has taken the country back to the stone age.
No 16 Mule the fact is the intervention is nod at all modern but it will alleviate the situation so stoneage or not, it can and will make a difference. Some parts of this country are so backward you would be amazed
#16 mule
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. -George Bernard Shaw
My advice to you: look at the invention from a reasonable man’s point of view.
#14.. This whole deal of saying these are problems that RB found is just whats wrong with our country. Well and good he found these problems but the question is what is he doing about them.? He aspired fro this office and the country expects him to offer solutions to our people’s suffering. I just have a hard time understanding why we would parade ourselves with bikes as ambulances in front of the whole world in this day and ge. For all I care, those Manda manda’s would have been retorfitted and turned into amblulances..We need to demand better from our government.It’s like we are content to subject poor people to this treatment while politicians’ get evacuated to SA for the flimsiest of reasons. Can anyone of these ministers accept to be transported on these Zambbikes is the question
Before you insult the zambulance, go and google and see how the project started (try bamboo bikes)! It was started by some US volunteer guy, probably a student after seeing the suffering of rural Zambi. Sorry to further disappoint you that it’s not even a Zambian’s initiative. Lets just be thankful that someone is doing something for us where we and our pathetic government have failed!
Just wait, the worst is yet to come. You suffer while we enjoy on your toil. You guys have no idea how rewarding being a politician can be in Zambia. Us kids get sent to study in US and UK on tax payers money. Olo shalilowa isha BOMA. we are treated like loyalty by the embassy staff while you guys get snubbed. So stop complaining, shut up! tell your dads to join politics and boot-lick there way to the top. whoa, and its nice at the top!
#22. You are not the first nor the last but one thing for sure you will not be a ministers son forever you shall oneday fill the pinch. Wasn’t Castrol a presidents son?
I wish to point out that acquiring of Ambulances or anything relating to health is the responsibility of Ministry of Health and burying of unclaimed bodies n other local govt. issues is the responsibility of Ministry of Local Government n Housing.
First I like the maturity and reasonablenes you are all exhibiting. I start with nine chale, It is not the best intervention but it one never the less, . It would be great to buy ambulances but with the limited resources one can also attempt a cheaper intervention which while stone age will alleviate the situation. You see even buy 300 ambulances may not significantly change the situation because with these goes maintanance , fuel and a driver. While 5000 bikes are more sustainable and would have a much wider outreach. That is not to say I am against conventional ambulances no, but I think we should try appreciate alternative ways and interventions. No matter how offensive they may be,
Those people in the GOVERNMENT are a joke sure NJINGAZ ooh please if the can afford to buy nice vehicles for carrying dead people why cant they buy something atleast for the living. Its shameful that first lady can even endorse the idea.
#18 Mama G, kindly take the same piece of advice on #20.
With all my heart i hope to live tosee a much better Zambia where we can provide great health care and have ambulances within call of all needy people but I also realise that we are far away from that day
Ndelila kubulanda mu chalo chesu. Mwe Lesa twafweni! Even when you have malaria a bike is not the best what about labour. God have mercy!
Logic # 14 What I mean to say is the problem is there and needs a solution . So in the attempt to attend to the problem, this intervention is welcome. I agree entirely that is so unfair that top politicans get evacuated to the South Africa at will. So yes we should all demand more but that does not mean that such interventions should not be considered because we regards them as demeaning. As for the manda manda’s I see nothing wrong with them people will die, and why not give the councils hearses. It was also welcome, You need to understand that we got a lot of problems and they will not be sorted over night with the aid of a miagic wand but
#14.Positivist pa zed. Imagine a woman in labor being ‘evacuated’ by Zambulance from Olympia extension to the nearest Chipata clinic on a gravel road riddled with pebbles and potholes through a trough of mixed sewerage. Oh, you’re just kidding.
My dear Monalisa, they actually walk at times or go on wheelbarrows, bikes etc. as sad as this may sound. An improvised bike is better than the situation some of our people are in
#26 Positivist pa zed, thank you for your acknowledgement. What amazes me is that people are busy blaming the government for Zambulance, as if it’s the government’s invention, yet the First Lady merely endorsed it (and she does not even represent a segment of parliament!).
Of course the government is responsible for the health sector but it is not right to blame them for every misery in our health system. There are certain things that we can manage on our own, like disease prevention by personal hygiene or contributing to collective cleanliness in our town / city. Another way is by such innovations, which may not be the ultimate but I believe they are like the seed which promises hope for tomorrow and beyond.
#31.. Trust me I do not have a problem with people being creative to help the situation. What I have a problem with is a situation where we pick a leaf right out of Animal farm. The bosses have the best care while the little guy is left to improvise. The problems in Zambia are not a result of lack of resouces but rather a misuse of the same. All I’m saying is lets not glorify Zambulances when we should be trying to get real ambulances. Has anyone even stopped to think about how useless these bikes will be in the Rainy season..Mind you people don’t just get sick in the dryer months of the year. The self help idea is good but Government policy should be to ensure that people are not driven to such alternatives.
#34 Nine Chale
I think you are very naive when it comes to Zed Politics. And I must say your innocent ignorance is genuine. You think any Jim & Jack can invent something and go to State and present it without going through the whole Government approval machinery? You got to be kidding. You think you can gather all those women for such an event without approval from the MMD/Goverment vetting and approval process? The First Lady’s program is drawn by MMD/Government. They endorsed this Ichibala and are busy trying to build the first lady’s image on this Ichibala. This was a government approved event and that is why we are attacking the government ..wake up my friend and stop looking without seeing.
#33. Positivist pa zed. It is okay for people to improvise where they’re no facilities but for government or an NGO in the name of first lady to be seen to be promoting mediocrity is rather a far cry.
correct me if wrong.My understanding of most comments here is that people dont understand why GRZ purchesed hearses an adversed form of technology to rush people to the grave and opted to acquire zambulance to peddle people to the hospital. My logic smells a rat.
#10 TECHNOCRATS REP, You have hit the nail on the head, train the mid-wives. If Thandi is that concerned about the issue then she should persuade the husband to put logistics in place to train the mid-wives. What pregnant lady in their right mind would get on that bike? People in rural areas live so far from the hospitals that the Zambulance will probably wont get there in time if the woman went in labor. Get your priorities right please!
Chali. exactly!!!
#36 True PFCadre, being closer to home than I am, you may be right in your assumption that the whole thing was engineered from “inside”. But what difference does it make when at the end of the day, a life is saved because someone was rushed to the hospital on that “chibala”?
#13 – Nine Chale Maybe the innovation here should be redisigning these tuma hearses to turn them into ambulances,its just a thought anyway!
Otherwise these bikes should not even be thought about because there will be pornography all over(u know what i mean).
Nine Chale, we all want lives saved and that is not the debate here. I think the debate is priorities and mode of solutions to our problems. What is wrong with #42′ Yougster’s suggestion. Why can’t the whole MMD/government see that. That is the debate here.. Lets use right tools for the right job. We don’t need these “Ifibala”. Turn those hearses into Ambulances and call them “HearseMbulances”. I would buy that as innovation
Which mode of transport highlighted above – the bike, Zambulance or the hearse, is ideal for the sick and desperate patient in a dire emergency? Your guess is as good as mine.
#43 True PF Cadre. I agree with you, the hearses should be turned into Ambulances. if anything let Zambulance turned into hearses “Zamhearses”.
#45. MAMA G. Admittedly, Zambulance could do just fine as an hearse. There’s no hurry in burying the dead; neither would you be worried with a bad outcome if you met adverse conditions on your way to purgatory.
#45. Monalisa. exactly my dear!!!
There we go #43 True PF Cadre brilliant idea. You are the man!
Sorry people, I was away for a while.
Lord of merce, I wonder what is going through us Zambians. Look at this madness: You are seen on the Zambulance being taken to a health institution 100 miles away during a heavy thunderstorm, and an hour later, they see you as a corpse in that state of the art hearse being taken back home for burial and the sun is now shining beautifully!! Think of just reversing this scenario, state of the art Ambulance first, then Zamulance after one’s death! I think this is the correct way! Someone is mad somewhere!
Thandiwe should prevail on RB to have those remaining hearses modified to ambulances. The concept of Zambualnces is ok when things get worse in some rural locations. Where are the NGO’s engage RB to have those mandamanda unditributed to be turned into ambulances. In Zambia its a well known fact that when one falls ill only a few will lend a hand to finmd transport to a health facilite but when one dies transport and food are mobilzed by the relatives and friends. So we need those Chinese Catic vehicles to be turned into ambulances. That is the only sensible thing RB will be remembered for if he did that. May the experts concerned look into this matter seriously. Prof. Luo, Dr. Lambart etc what are your views on this matter.
#23 minister’s son ati wat goes up must come down, you will soon be the one been tolled on these zambulances in your kachasu state while reminiscing and telling anyone who will listen about the good old days when daddy used to send you shopping in new york and no one is ever going to feel sorry for you. kama is a b.i.t.c.h!
TATULI FIPUBA!!
Cino calo ca mashilu! Sure!!
Poverty in zambia is engineered by the so called leaders. If someone was surely interested in developing the country why not ask these donors instead of donating money to the health sector why not donate medical equipment, transportaion for paitents, training for emergancy medics and midwives etc. How many of you bloggers here have experienced labour pain before that you would want to be thrown on that death wagon while screaming in pain? Some women do have to walk to health centers during all seasons but just because they are from shanty’s they dont deserve better and should never expect their way of life to ever develop? If so much money can go missing in MOH then there is enough to buy state of the art ambulances, train medics and mid wives, improve the health centers which are…
contd….already there. The labour wards in zambia are beyond disgusting! Rats come for you food at night, windows are broken and no heating system in winter. KCH only has one incubator for newborns and that is the high cost! So you cn only imagine the plight at low cost. Of course it would be expensive to do all this in one go but how many years have these fools had to develop these sectors. Here in UK they buy and throw away medical equipment so often you would think this gov that likes uku lombalomba they would made a deal for this equipment to be used in zambia but we all know that will mean donors will see that we may on the road to development and not release as much money, then these fools you call leaders will have to think of ways to find resources to both line their pockets…
and up keep the state and be answerable to the tax payer…so you know the easy way on this. Their lips even look like bokosi ya chi ducks cus of talking too much s.h.i.t! Zambulance!! What an insult, no wonder we have been a ‘developing’ country since indepedence! I really get annoyed thinking what these selfish people are doing to zambia. Yes its an innovation but aim for the best, jst cus ku shanti they transport mu chibala doesnt mean attach a bike to it and say you are making there lives better. Why not give the people the best so they can expect the best from themselves and any ruling party? So everyone can strive for the best. i dont know about you but I think thats what development is.
After 46 years of independence still in stone age. REVOLUTION 2011
It’s not too late to convert those manda manda’s into some semblance of an ambulance. Its shamefull that have to resolt to acient methodologies in the era of 4G. Even the Flintstones has it better!
Try “evacuating” these big wigs on the ‘zambulace’ to RSA see how long it will take…
In the first place, will there be a driver or rider which ever the name on standby and where? How do pipo reach the Zambulance rider? This thing soon will be used on errands like going for ka beer, etc
And mandamanda and zambulance is it not madness just think again where to now zambia; total confussion
Developing nations must fight against all odds to improve healthcare services…. transporting pregnant women in labour on IFIBALA “zambulance” is no solution…
Well we can all sit here and complain and wait for the government to get things right, or we can give credit where credit is deserved. Zambikes is doing what they can to address the real issues in Zambia. If you check out their website, the zambulance is actually fabricated in Zambia. How many quality products are made here in Zambia for Zambians?
When will these people in govt learn to eat from the same pot they are cooking. A true leader leads by example. There is no true love expressed by offering what one can’t use. Transporting pregnant women in labour on these ” Zambulance” is demeaning on the pride of the nation. Just convert bamadamada into ambulances, the nation will applaud such a move.
The Zambulance is a SHAME invention!
Its drama pa zed we need to sort out these chaps. Words alone will not help, actions is needed.
Zambulance is an really insult to the integrity to Zambians we deserve better than that. wagon…what good is their to heve a 5 star funeral when your life was is in deep shit
Is condemning all you know
Lets not rush to condemning this inventor who simply want to help the poor villagers, how many of you have invented anything for the good of your country? These are helpless people who only want to help. What they need is support to come up with better ideas. Talking of stone age, yes we still are in the stone age times for as long as we can invent our own things, its this kind of attitude that has kept us stuck in time. Everyone started from somewhere to get to where they are. Maybe instead of condemning we should ask government to set up car assemblies in Zambia. The only problem is we dont have a listening gov. They are always in polical fights instead of working. Its a shame.
I love post idea lists like this (Sean Platt also did a great one recently). Your second topic is a great one ?C I think another idea you can add to it is blogging about a failure you had and what you learned from it.Great work!