Press Statement by the Resident Doctors Association of Zambia
Resident Doctors Association of Zambia (RDAZ) regrets the firing of nurses who took part in the strike. We wish to categorically state that firing of health workers has never been and will never be a solution to the ills currently being experienced in the health sector. While we condemn the earlier action taken by the nurse when they downed tools, we can not support this move by Government.
It must be mentioned that, the state of affairs experienced in the past week when nurses went on a stand off, will continue by the action by Government to fire them. UTH can not continue running on skeleton nursing staff from the defense force,let alone student nurses.
It is not long ago when government took a similar stance on Medical doctors. It must be known that as a country we lost many doctors to other countries and we have not been able to recover either in numbers or in motivation of medical doctors!
We therefore urge government to rescind its decision for the sake of the poor Zambian who seek medical services from our hospitals.
We remain hopeful that Government and ZUNO will find a lasting solution to the nurses’ plight to avoid further disruptions in service delivery and avert unnecessary mortalities!
We voted for change and now we must dance to the tune. I cannot imagine how Zambia will be by 2016 under PF. This is the worst period in Zambia’s history only comparable to the Kaunda era, its really sad.
As a country, Zambia is not only in turbulent times, but in a historic era of disproportionate dangerous experiment.
Zambia has suddenly become a country of endangered spices.
Democracy is now under siege
Youths are desperately endangered- no future
Quality of education has hit the bottom, Minister now buy Matero University degrees
Hospitals are dungeons of death for the commoner as they are shunned by ministers who opt to go die at Milpark in SA
Employees are now voiceless maids and Garden boys.
Even insults cannot express how I detest PF government. I just better not. Waiting for 2016 or presidential bye-election.
JEAN & all others, waiting for 2016, is a SPINELESS STANCE!!! We put him into power, NOT HIS PARTY!! We lose sight of the fact he is there because of us!! WE need to start demonstrations just as we did against the third term – it was unscripted, THIS TOO IS UNSCRIPTED!! Laws are there to SERVE MAN!! IF the laws fail to SERVE US, the ONUS IS UPON US TO CHANGE THEM!!
We should go ALL OUT WITH RESISTANCE DEMONSTRATIONS – we should BESIEGE PARLIAMENT & the WHOLE GOVT OFFICE DISTRICT – we SHOULD PARALYSE THIS GOVT till either PARLIAMENT MOVES A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN THIS P.I.G. to get the IMPOTENT OPPOSITION to understand we have had enough or since things have become so desparate, maybe some bright spark in uniform will serve us the coup de grace!!!!
PF is not only clueless and confused, but overwhelmed with the burden of Governing this country which lies could not foresee.
Even insults cannot express how I detest PF government. I just better not. Waiting for 2016 or presidential bye-election.
This is a senseless act by GRZ. There simply are not enough nurses out there to replace the ones that have been fired. The net effect of this action is that people will still continue dying due to poor care. The Doctors have a point here.
If it where in war, the firing of these nurses would be termed as; “Disproportionate use of force”
God we seek your intervention in this country in what ever way possible.
God Bless Africa, and God Bless us all!,
I believe God is meek and just so much that he cannot brook indiscipline, selfishness and proud stubborness portryed by the sacked nurses. Thank God it was not nationwide strike except for Lusaka and L/stone indoctrinated by Opposition mentality. And you Doctors, you least respects nurses on duty should not even pretend to empathy with them to win cheap popularity. All the same, I urge Govt to forgive the nurses but do not pay them for the days they stayed away from work. Keep the record, should the same nurses repeat to go on illegal strike, sack them instantly and employ new ones. It is a shame that even nurses due to retire went on strike when they should just be counting days to retirement and showing dedication to duty as good example to new young nurses.
@innocent
iwe innocent, it was not only livingstone and lusaka,,, there was chipata and the whole of copperbelt too!! get your facts right
Ba Inoocent muli chipuba fye. I need not say more.
Ba Inocent muli chikopo, you must be so heartless! Do you even know why the nurses had to go back on strike after the initial strike action’s recess? Why do you think “dialogue” is provided for between an employee and an employer? Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago we were celebrating the move taken by Government to block KCM’s management from retiring the Zambian miners in the name of ensuring a Zambian continued to have employment?
How would you feel if you were the 49th patient yet to be attended to by a nurse who later just got fired by your so called LEADERs for crying to get a decent pay? Have you ever been to UTH, visiting any patient, or just to observe nurses working? Would you stand it, with an improvised drip on your patient sleeping on the floor using a curtain for a…
My brother who is a doctor was fired by the chiluba government in 1999. He was so de-motivated he left Zambia a year later and this is a person who had always wanted to do more for his country..Well another country is enjoying the medical expertise that the Zambian government paid for. The notion that being a doctor or nurse is a calling is false-doctors and nurses also need to eat and educate their children.
Innocent
You should change your name to Ignorant caus you are thinking from your butt and talking out of your butthole.
Change is the only sure thing in the world, but some changes are not desirable.
I remember one leader in opposition in 2009 entered UTH to give solidarity to the Nurses on strike. Chansa Kabwela made her name when the nurses were on strike, She has been appointed into foreign service based on her courage to expose the then govt on its so called poor conditions for a nurse. The nurses were not fired. The wise govt then negotiated with them and they returned to work. Why fire them?
Don’t worry UPND will mount legal challenge in defence of all the dismissed nurses
Funny how the doctors condemned the action taken by the nurses and the government in the same breath.Sounds like they are sitting on the fence to me.Anyway whatever has attachments of being illegal must attract punishment.Those nurses deserve it.
What about Rule of Law and Natural Justice? Irrelevant?
Where is my earlier comment ba LT
We all know the’ll all be brought back, the firing was just an emotional reaction by an irrational president
The minister of Health & the minister of Labor & whoever was involved in the firing of the nurses lack spirit of discernment and wisdom. No skills. And you say you are a working minister. No wonder why the government is going to cause KCM to fold up and all Zambians will loose their jobs. It is just a matter of time. Have the government thought or forgotten why ZCCM was sold? Why Anglo A. pulled out. We have educated ministers who cannot advise the president according to the reality in truth, but are there to please the president. Scared to do the right thing for the Zambian people. I would rather be fired than compromise with unreality. Scared to loose a job. I salute the former PS for ZBS. Educated ministers scared to put their skills to work. You educated ministers you are a let down
My dear it is lose and not loose. (loose means unfettered or not taut.)
Senseless act by GRZ. Who is going to replace the fired nurses? There are simply not enough of them in this country to replace the fired ones. Best move would have been a reprimand. This will worsen the problem of inadequate care in these hospitals. Many people will die, including your own relatives who cannot afford private hospitals or to go to South Africa.
The doctors really sound like people who have been to school. Bravo doctors
well done Mr. president, life is important than money, Nurses why punishing innocent sick people for the love of money ? this is most feared snake in the world the cobra at work.
poor analysis
Cobra indeed! Strikes without thinking
Nurses went on an illegal strike disregarding even their union. Government pleaded with them to give chance to dialogue to no avail and was left with one and only one choice. The best way out of this unfortunate situation is to allow the willing nurses to re-apply, but the trouble makers should be weeded out. I am wondering why the Doctors association was mute when the strike on.
The good thing is that a nurse is someone who can never be in desparation for employment unless he or she wants to work under the gorvenment. For the past 5 or more yrs, GNC had blocked any nurse to praactice outside the country as almost everyone used to leave the moment after graduation. Now, if govt doesn’t rescind on its decission, evry nurse will be out of the country wihin the blink of an eye and it will be the same people rejoicing to suffer the consequences.
We have a lot of private clinics and hospitals in need of nurses with a good salary offer. So why would he or she wish to go back to the govt which only keeps the moneyfo you to come and use when you are old? Sata will soon cry over his spilt milk.
Are you sure coz nurses at mahongo in ndola run by Dr mukunyandela get in1000 as salary per month
The good thing is that a nurse is someone who can never be in desparation for employment unless he or she wants to work under the gorvenment. For the past 5 or more yrs, GNC had blocked any nurse to praactice outside the country as almost everyone used to leave the moment after graduation. Now, if govt doesn’t rescind on its decission, evry nurse will be out of the country wihin the blink of an eye and it will be the same people rejoicing to suffer the consequences.
We have a lot of private clinics and hospitals in need of nurses with a good salary offer. So why would he or she wish to go back to the govt which only keeps the moneyfo you to come and use when you are old? Sata will soon cry over his spilt milk.
I still think the decision taken by govt is the right one. When you read between the lines the statement from the Medical association, it goes to say that the doctors learnt a very good lesson when His excellent the president was Minister of health and dealt with them sternly. The nurses should count themselves luck because this time around there was no beating like received by doctors years back. They say its a calling why strike. Do priests who have a calling strike? When your call has ended leave just like priests do. When Milingo’s call ended he quickly married and found something to do to make a leaving.
YOU think Sata won that battle??? Just becoz you are IGNORANT OF THE FACT THAT THOSE DOCTORS WHO WERE FIRED are not on the streets begging, BUT ABROAD, PRACTICING PROPER MEDICINE & ENJOYING THE FRUITS OF THEIR HARD LABOUR, thus doesn’t mean dunderheads like you & Sata have gained anything!!
If you are remotely interested, you might just be bothered to do some research to FIND OUT HOW WELL ZAMBIA IS DOING IN THE EXPORT OF MEDICAL STAFF & what sort of PER CAPITA we are earning becoz of this!!
So who do u think is suffering.
I only have degree (but its a distinction) and make more than Doctor. In addition that that am even within Zambia! hehehehehe! The key is choice of the course and not hiding in callings which you dont have.
Any worker that is not saticified quit instead of affecting others by yo st upid actions.Upnd ,u are really dull.Why should u defend illegality? @Senior citizen u are dull. Yo lies will destroy u.Who was told they were maids or garden boy?Liers!
PF is arrogant, The President failed to remove Kabimba from the party despite people not liking him but he was able to fire nurses easily. PF might start to mean Progressive Failure. For a moment PF seemed to be sensible but time has shown its true colours it does not stand by its campaign promises. Its truly Dont Kubeba i have never been a fun of UPND but now it seems to be making sense. Anyhow i do not promote or support any party as am non partisan…PF is supposedly a labour party for the employees/workers but the act they have done does not seem so.The question is after firing these nurses what if they all now decide to strike what next?
Nurses just go to Europe as you always say. Go and wash the old people’s bodies while living in a one roomed room. Imediately when PF came into power Increased your salaries and us other civil servants never went on strike. This time around GRZ gave same increment to all civil servants but you went on strike demanding more money at the expense of patients. How selfish you are…..shaa.
Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.
The best solution is to promote all nurses and give them senior staff conditions to prevent them from going on strike and indirectly put them on 24 hrs call. Reinstate them for the betterment of our national Zambia and innocent sick brothers and sisters.
All of commenting sh***t against my hard working government are *****s! Yes stupid *****s as kk used to call you ,. napwishe nine Mwanamfumu shimuchita pantonto.
indeed you a fool, and a big assole of sheet, which hard working government, when people are suffering in villages and so called town compounds. you are very digusting i tell u.
Brace your self 4 more suffering chula iwe……
so many negative comments about nurses showing lack of understanding by the community. you will soon regret.
IT IS NOT JUST THE NURSES. THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH SHOULD KNOW THAT EVEN DOCTORS ARE AFFECTED. ITS ONLY THAT THE DOCTORS ARE BEING PATIENT. FOR EXAMPLE A DOCTOR ON A NEW SALARY SCALE OF “M” IS GETTING A BASIC SALARY FOR SCALE “L” (WITH LESS MONIES) AND NO EXPLAINATION GIVEN. SO THE MINISTRY IS JUST SITTING ON A TIME BOMB YET TO EXPLODE.