Vice-President Inonge Wina says government will consider constituting a medical board that will look into the health of presidents in the country.
Ms. Wina, who is also PF Nalolo Member of Parliament (MP), said a medical board will be the right one to authorise and advise government on any illness of the head of state.
She said this in parliament today when she was responding to a question raised by PF Kamfinsa MP Moses Chishimba on what government was doing to ensure that the health of President Lungu is protected.
The Vice President said the practice has been that the heads of state chose their own medical teams to take care of their health.
Ms. Wina told parliament that other countries in the world have set such medical boards to look and protect the health of their presidents hence the need for Zambia to also establish one.
“The practice has been that the Head of State chooses his own medical team to take care of his health but as government, we are now going to institutionalise a medical board to look, take care and protect the health of our President,” Ms. Wina said.
She disclosed that to avoid speculations from members of the general public, the Minister of Health Joseph Kasonde would soon issue a ministerial statement when the medical board will be established.
Ms. Wina stated that government wants to be transparent on the health of the President but noted that some statements on this subject were in bad taste and injurious the integrity of the Head of State.
On the fuel situation, the Vice President said subsidizing fuel in Zambia would be difficulty because the country landlocked.
Ms. Wina maintained that government will not subsidize fuel and other petroleum commodities.
On the retirement age, Ms. Wina said the issue has been misunderstood by the Zambian people especially civil servants.
She said the Statutory Instrument (SI) signed last year to increase the retirement age from 55 to 65 years will soon be amended to make it relevant to the Zambian labour industry.
She said cabinet will meet to amend the SI in a bid to reduce the retirement age and possibly keep it at 55 years.
And Ms. Wina has clarified that the one-day closure of Nakonde border was to avoid the clashes in neighbouring Tanzania from spreading into Zambia.
She told parliament that the closure was a temporal measure because there was a riot between two factions in that country.
On Monday, this week, Nakonde border in Muchinga Province was closed after confusion erupted at Tunduma in Tanzania between supporters of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi and the opposition Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) who fought running battles over a disputed piece of land.
Nonsense! this will be a waste of resources. the best is to elect people of sound health to the presidency. this is the best way – even if it means amending the electoral act to include medical examination for all presidential candidates.
you dont need a medical board to check for alcohol levels in a human,,,,bo anutie is wrong this time again
@ 1 mwamba
Mwamba, your proposal is merely a pie in the sky. Scrupulous politicians will still be able to pay their way through such a medical examination and get a squeaky clean report about their health, even when they are seriously sick.
With proper care and advice, a president like Mwanawasa, for instance, could have survived through to the end of his second term, at least. It is also clear that the late president Sata had, for a long time, resort to playing hide and sick with death. How asphyxiating that was! The presence of a presidential medical board would have changed the picture and the tactics for the better.
What is important is the integrity of the government! Even if we have such a board, as long as we have people that are ready to lie to the general public, the said board will not serve a purpose!
@1 Mwamba,who will then supervise the medical examination of presidential candidates if not a board which should be recognized and acceptable to all candidates and other stakeholders in the electoral process? To elect a person of sound health such persons should be subjected to tests to meet set criteria to qualify or not for candidature! So if there is no set up institution who will be answerable for allowing a sickly person to stand as a candidate? Any Doctor can be paid millions and pass any candidate as eligible but if there is a board the levels of manipulation can be reduced though not eliminated! I agree with 1.2 Mei Matungu that your wish is indeed pie in the sky!!
#prayforzambia
Lord give this Government the sense to provide good health care to All not just to themselves.
Never trust a lozi, never truly zambians
Thanks
BB2014
Its a good idea but not deliberately electing the already sick ones.
In this vain, Boma Inonge Wina, there should also be an independent medical board for clarification if at all levels, the need for consistency is the interest of the public. The president is public property, as such, people need to be informed about his or her well being as it is their right.
When PF came to power, the health of the president has been characterized by Donchi Kubeba sickness, “as fit as fiddle & working at State House”. Moreover, what occurred at Maina Soka with Lungu to’ve been “cleared” yet he absconded to South Africa! Transparency is needed.
PF should glimpse into the Bill of Rights. Independent Medical Board too!
Skeleton Key
~206~
@Mushota
wena ka nga mushota wa tapakala! isako masila ahao
@Skeleton#key masapo yaa ¤206¤
ucwani wahesu!,,, na kuutwa!
Mushota
Such uncouth verbatim from you is disgusting and disgraceful. I don’t like PF but if at all you’re female viz your claim, you need to support women so that they’re empowered.
This is the reason why Barotseland wants out of this failed state “unitary” Zambia. Its Zambia under KK with impunity, abrogated the Barotseland Agreement 1964, such a caliber International treaty is the birth certificate of Zambia. Tanganyika & Zanzibar have respected their union treaty of forming Tanzania.
That’s is your problem with yous, you’ve always voted on tribal lines. Only a Northerner or Easterner can be president of Zambia?
Therefore, let Barotseland go peacefully & determine her destiny. A $=K7,900 today! Nepotism.
The Skeleton Key
~206~
Ndobo
Kina yo wahesu, politics ya Zambia kili papali Ni mandwani!
Wabona ka Tanya kanga Mushota bukuba? Kauke Sepa Sahao.
Mushota a cheese eating monkey convert , if you’re educated as you’ve claimed all along, you’ll get the context.
The people of Barotseland have respected your fellow tribe mates from Northern Rhodesia.The 2 protectorates of Britain signed the BA’64, Barotseland did so in good faith but Northern Rhodesia so did with ill intentions. The problem is that, you lack thereof, truth & scared of facing reality.
Its such primitivism which has seen the Zambian Kwacha & economy to be rotten just like of current. That’s a FACT! Lack of morals is the other case scenario of you. Did Nick flee away? Respect Lozis & others to do same in reverse…
Such a board cannot work for a sitting president seeking a second term. Instead It can be abused to bar opposition candidates. What we need at the moment is to have a condition that presidential candidates should join an international medical aid insurance company prior to nomination who will certify their health status. Insurance companies will ensure that these guys are healthy before giving them a million dollar cover. Additionally we will save a lot of money because if the president falls sick all medical bills will be paid by the company not the Zambian tax payer. In fact all highly paid politicians should be on this insurance. Mrs Wina should have told the country the truth, she was against the same idea she is talking about now and she is not looking healthy herself.
How is it possible to protect the president’s health if he is already ill when coming to power? Can we be realistic and just learn to elect healthy presidents.
The STUPI>>DITY of Zambians of the highest Order!!
Why??
Becoz: a] We have a Constitution which directs on who qualifies to be president – He has to declare he or she is of good health – the monkeys that are supposed to verify this are the Returning officer- i.e the Chief Justice!! To police this if infringed – The Chief Justice, should nullify the Election & the Guilty party prosecuted!! Simple – A few englis words are already in place instead of “uku buta” about sill.y ideas such as this by the VP!!
b] THE COUNTRY HAS HAD A MEDICAL BOARD for over 45 years!!!
But becoz we revel in IGNORANCE & High STU..PIDITY, we think it is a BL..OO..DY GOOD IDEA TO REINTRODUCE IT!! The Merdical Board in Zed was introduced in late 60’s to early 70’s, to make decisions on who should be sent…
…sent abroad for specialist medical care – which worked well in KK’s days, till we got ka kafupi & the Monkeys that followed thereafter, they hijacked this, & NOW ONLY POLITICIANS & CORPSES seem to benefit from it !!
IT IS INDEED A B..LOOD..Y Good idea madame VP!!
Now you are talking Madam Vice President. The rate at which Zambian presidents are dying and/or getting sick is alarming.
iwe,,, that walking stick ba edga carries is from a ng`anga to prevent him from falling,,,, why trouble medical doctors, go back to the ng`anga and say that the stick is not working,, its cheaper that way!!
@ 2.1 ndobo
But did Sata and Mwanawasa also carry walking sticks?
@Mei Matungu
Sata died of `hard work` according to PF, he was always working,,, cause of death possibly fatigue
Mwanawasa died after shouting at basopo mugabe!!,,, and guess what! Mugabe is Edgar Lungu`s mentor!!,,
Mwanawasa was sick from the beginning hence the name cabbage coz he was inconsistent and not fluent in his speech. However with much work by doctors he improved a little. however he was still very sick especially at the end of his 1st term such that he was just forced by Mollinto stand for 2nd term which led him to die on duty in Ethiopia. It was not like they didn’t know that he was not well.
They all knew and even himself Mwanawasa has refused ati ‘ plz I can’t stand am not well am sick’. But Mollin coz of her greed and sselfishness forced him to stand
What is wrong with Zambia? Anyway it is very much Zambian to be fooled all the time. In all areas. Politicians know this and they have taken advantage.
Not a bad idea but we should also refurbish local hospitals as many citizens suffer in silence, They can neither access private hospitals nor medical attention abroad.
On retirement age …how old are you yourself madam? On this board why not use it to vet sick guys presidential candidates like Edgar & Co who have slipped through in past.
We have a lot of people dying of curable diseases and issues that only needed specialist treatment in the early stages in the country where is the board for them? They pay tax..
@Jay jay, retirement age doesn’t apply to Zambian politicians but to civil servants, Zambian laws are crafted for the poor and only apply to the rich when they disown the party in power.
This is as vague as it comes. This will not serve any purpose as the exercise here is public relations management.
When will these people realise that the President is a public servant and not royalty? He should be the first one queuing up at UTH, not busy globe trotting to see specialists to cure his unknown ailments?
Ati Lungu is a humble man. Don’t make me laugh. Humble people will not tolerate wasting tax payers money on creating medical boards.
Instead of fighting the falling kwacha, the sick and dying president chooses to go to Namibia.
Today kwacha is trading at 765=00 against the dollar and the Kachasu Man choses to gallivanting.
Lungu is the most useless president that Zambia has ever had.
And I was going to congratulate our lady VP for initiating a presidential health board as a sort of tribunal to check if EL is fit for the job! – how wrong can I be 🙁
The Accurate Sources are warning all Civil sER to ensure that they serve the March 2015 salaries so that they are not reduced to beggars next month.
The Govt is planning to divert alot of money towards the health of Edgar Lungu.
Eg; all people that followed Edgar Lungu to South Africa for one week were paid hefty allowances of K80,000 each while Edgar Lungu himself received K250 000 not including K1000 000 that was spent towards his medicine and the jet fuel.
You can imagine, where in Africa can you pay someone for being sick? This is unacceptable in a poor country like Zambia.
The Accurate Sources challenge any government official to denie this fact.
So those civil servants who will depute this can do so at their own peril.
Zambia is now becoming like Zimbabwe…
Why should we be treating our senior civil servant like that? Let us just inact a law that should compel heads of state to seek treatmet in our own health institutions. This will in turn improve medical facilities for all and not just a previleged few who can actuaiy affoard the bills. Life is not only precios to some, we all have the same life and treasure it!
This is the best suggestion I ve heard so far. Good THINKING.
The medical board when set up will still consist of sycophants scared to offend the incoming president. They will give him a clean bill of health and have history repeating itself all over again. Professional integrity doesn’t exist in Zambia.
A B..LOOD..Y Good Idea especially that we have ONE ALREADY!!
….please NEVER consider Madam/Dr Christine Kaseba to be a member of that board because of what she said about her husban’s health contrary to the truth………..
After managing to force a sick President on the people and now you want to do this.
The fact is even you the VP knew the health of EL before he became president but you decided to lie to the people that he had a clean bill of health.
madame vice president, how much more money from we poor tax payers are you going to squander from a country that is on the verge of collapse to shield and hide behind. Even if you do establish this medical board you the PF will control what they have to say to the people, so please you people have squarnded enough money, stop.
Ifipuba, with just a mention of a tribe…, they come out insulting everyone like castrated Donkeys.
There is a better way of putting your argument across than showing the whole world that you are still living in that primitive era.
Stop it and Start thinking now!!!
Watch out Zambians and take care of our dear eastern president especially his health.
Bembas lost power and they don’t like that.
“We have too high a tolerance level for mediocrity, sloppy work, and poor performance and we have none of the tools we need to unload people who don’t learn from their mistakes and are content to coast along, secure in the knowledge that the system owes them something for just showing up. We are at a crossroads and many of the people who should be speaking up and driving change are running their pension numbers.”
Anonymous.
Mujajati will be the Director General, that’s what he has been campaigning for….ati “doctor” kanshi ni cadre
let’s wait and see.