Green Party President Peter Sinkamba has come to the defense of management at Kitwe Teaching Hospital charging that Dr. Chitalu Chilufya missed the point when he directed that management at the hospital should be disciplined for rats that have infested some wards. Mr. Sinkamba said that the vector and rodent problem at the hospital is a policy-failure issue that is purely the responsibility of the minister and not the doctors.
“I am very much aware of this problem. In fact, as the Green Party, we did offer in 2016, to work with a well-known rodent eradication company in Kitwe to try and sort out the rodent problem but failed to do so because of politics. Some people within the ministry viewed our offer as campaign gimmick when in fact not.
“The problem of vectors and rodents at Kitwe Teaching Hospital, and elsewhere, is an actually a policy issue. And all sectoral policies are the responsibility of the sector minister. When there is policy-failure in a particular ministry that is not the problem of management, but the minister,” Mr. Sinkamba said.
Mr. Sinkamba said that in order to reduce vector and rodent nuisance, including transmitted diseases to a level where they cease to become a public health problem, Government should develop a public environmental health policy through which relevant institutions promote and research into the integrated physical, chemical and biological vector and rodent control methods.
“Those rodents at Kitwe Teaching Hospital are alleged to have developed resistance against certain rodenticides. It is the responsibility of the Government to work in close cooperation with the research institutions and monitor and recommend interventions to address the reported rodenticide resistance.
“Furthermore, Government should ensure that control measures employed at various levels are environmentally friendly to promote and preserve lives not only of persons but flora and fauna as well.
“In addition, Government should periodically review and reinforce the national public health laws with a view to enacting legislation that provides the legal framework for the development of surveillance and control activities against vectors and rodents.
“And most importantly, Government should provide adequate resources for vector and rodent control to local authorities as this is a local authorities key responsibility not hospital management responsibility,” he added.
Mr. Sinkamba said due to policy-failure, since 1998, Kitwe residents on the bed-side of their relatives in Mkushi and other wards, have always complained of the infestation of rats at the hospital and have on several occasions called for measures to eradicate the rodents which have been extremely disturbing to both the patients and those on the bed side. He added that sometimes families have reported the rodents having feasted on dead bodies but successive governments have failed to address the problem.
“The rats that have colonized the basement of the hospital have been an eyesore to patients as they have always been seen moving freely in the wards. Successive ministers of health, including Dr. Chilufya himself, have known this problem. It is neither new nor is it a secret. It has been reported several times in the print media. The only difference now is that the report was visually aided through the viral video recording. Otherwise, this is a problem that is well known by Dr. Chilufya. As far as we are concerned, he was merely playing to the gallery when he issued threats to discipline senior management,” Mr. Sinkamba said.
On the reported threats to hospital management, Mr. Sinkamba stated that leaders privileged to exercise power should not use their positions to as scapegoat for own failures or failures of policies.
“When you are privileged as a leader to wield power, apply that power judiciously and justly. Do not unduly jeopardize the professional standing of juniors under your charge for political expedience,” he said.
Mr. Sinkamba said that Dr. Chilufya must put himself in the shoes of those fellow professionals at Kitwe Teaching Hospital. He said Dr. Chilufya should take a leaf from President Lungu who did not take action against him when corruption charges were leveled him. Rather the President let the due process take its course.
“But instead of emulating the spirit of President Lungu, Dr. chilufya publicly tried and found Kitwe Teaching Hospital management guilty without any hearing at all. This approach is repugnant and must be curtailed forthwith. He should have let the due process take its course whereby hospital management should have been given a hearing on the rodents.
“Most importantly, the right thing Dr. Chitalu should do is to critically address the problem from a policy point of view. First of all, there is need for him to develop an environmental health policy that addresses, among other issues vectors and rodents in public and private institutions.
“Secondly, he should ensure that as the Minister of Finance prepares the public health sector budget for 2021, he should set aside adequate resources for local authorities for vector and rodent control. In the last two decades, the only budget set aside for local government in terms of environmental health is for malaria control. Nothing is set aside for rodent control. This is genesis of the problem at Kitwe Teaching Hospital and elsewhere in the country,” Mr. Sinkamba explained.
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“Let our doctors focus on treating patients. And we should let the local government through the Councils to focus of mosquito, rodent and rabies control. Overburdening our doctors with these responsibilities does not make any sense at all especially in this country where the patient-doctor ration is 10,000 to 1.
“I hope President Lungu will not allow Dr. Chilufya to terrorize and frustrate hard working doctors at Kitwe Teaching Hospital who are merely victims of policy-failure. We lost a lot of doctors at Kitwe Teaching Hospital, and elsewhere in the country between 1998-2000 due to policy-failure frustrations. We shudder to see a repeat of the same mistake. It takes a lot of resources and dedication to produce a doctor. We should not frustrate them on account of policy-failure. It is not their job to formulate policy and allocate financial resources for policy implementation,” he said.
Yes rats problem is a PF leadership problem, including PF doctors. When Pilato sung Koswe, he meant it, the rats are in every ministry, some even promoted as provincial ministers.
I remember at our rural Catholic ran hospital, they used to have white cats at hospital to control rats, not BLACK cats, because black ones used to be accused of witchcraft. Another method was traditional trapping in bucket of water. There many safe methods.
PF has Youth Empowerment Funds, let them form companies to clean hospitals and pest control. But ba PF ni mbwaa they can’t think.
Mr Sinkamba very well articulated, but do you think these guys would listen to you? They are in campaign mode and seeing that going viral none of them would take responsibility even if they knew that is the actual position. They want to be seen to be very efficient and competent. And when you talk of reserving some budgetary component for environmental controls, they would ensure the money is paid to Cadres who have no clue about environmental control. They are the worst of the Zambians you can ever come across.
The maintenance of existing infrastructure is also fundamental in the control of rodents such as rats. When you have broken doors, windows and ceiling boards, rats will easily find there way into buildings. The lockers, cardboards and closets need to be well maintained and secured to ensure that rats don’t hid and reproduce from these facilities. Finally, cleanness is important as this will deprive rodents as well as cockroaches access to any alternative food residues that can sustain them.
Dobo is nice
Kwacha going to 20 kwacha to a dollar, debt unsustainable, covid 19 numbers going up and now rats. I am told even a lion protested against them and went on the streets in Chilanga recently.
Just put more Easterners to run the institution. The current chaps are not serious. How can they be playing with “Umunani?”
Presido is always on point! He is the most underrated Zambian politician around.
Grow up iwe sinkamba. Very childish man.
“The Kaizar Zulu school of political science” coming soon. REMODELING THE PRIVATE SECTOR AMID THE NOVEL COVID-19. Just letting my haters knows in advance so that they don’t get heart attack when the school is open.
Grow up iwe sinkamba. Very childish man.
“The Kaizar Zulu school of political science” coming soon. REMODELING THE PRIVATE SECTOR AMID THE NOVEL COVID-19. Just letting my haters knows in advance so that they don’t get heart attack when the school is open. Our young ones need to be prepared intellectually to govern in future
Grow up iwe sinkamba. Very childish man.
“The Kaizar Zulu school of political science” coming soon. REMODELING THE PRIVATE SECTOR AMID THE NOVEL COVID-19. Just letting my haters knows in advance so that they don’t get heart attack when the school is open. Our young ones need to be prepared intellectually to govern in future. Kaizar
Grow up iwe sinkamba. Very childish man.
“The Kaizar Zulu school of political science” coming soon. REMODELING THE PRIVATE SECTOR AMID THE NOVEL COVID-19. Just letting my haters knows in advance so that they don’t get heart attack when the school is open. Our young ones need to be prepared intellectually to govern in future. Kaizar z
This seems more like it. A funding issue by the Govt. May be the funding model is not correct. Why did these guys (Doctors) not raise the alarm when rats started? One can assume that the hospital management appointed was capable of containing the rats given the necessary support.
But you know everything in the country has collapsed. Do we have a country any more. Regrettably we have to blog with non progressive minds like a former political advisor to a President who is presiding over a country put in a mess. Zambia was a beautiful country, Zambia was a promising country. I am sure when this President is alone he talks to himself and says I wish I heard when people were advising that this debt we are contracting left right and center will come to choke us and haunt us. For now, it is Zimbabwe here we come.
You can support this man one moment, then he goes completely the other way. Ibange, kapala!! If the Minister has to tour tour each and every hospital, what time will he have to draw up policy?? That’s why we have hospital management boards which sit at these sites everyday. Let’s tone down on politics and take responsibility for our actions as citizens, people!!! Only our individual efforts and achievements will develop this country-firstly and fundamentally: ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY!!!!!!
Mr president, green party, I like your contribution on a number of issues of national interest. I beg to differ with you on your assumption, that the problem at Kitwe was a policy matter. If it was, this would have been a problem elsewhere in our country. The Minister’s move was within his line of duty and I see nothing wrong with the steps taken to address the problem.
The problem at hand is managerial and demonstrative, in my opinion. Policy is already their and it is a question of implementation by respective managers.
Who are these managers, Medical officers must manage patient care. Medical officers managing finances,and other health personnel and programs are sources of problems which must be seriously addressed by the Ministry. I wish had more time to shade more light on how…
I wish to differ with Peter Sinkamba, although his proposal might be useful. Has he taken into account that Wusakili Hospital that is domiciled within Kitwe is an ISO Certified Institution? The difference bwteen the two is management, the KTH management has failed and therefore must be censured. That Hospital has been managed by others before and I’ve in mind Dr Bola. Those familiar with KTH will agree with me that Bola was a good manager. So don’t defend failure, however I take cognizance of the fact that in Zambia it has now become fashionable to defend everything even things that can’t be defended. Please find out why Wusakili has maintained good standards and learn from them
I tend to refute the suggestion by Mr Sinkamba. If KCH was your house would you still blame the Ministry of Health? What basic measures were the staff putting in place to help rid off these rats? The staff were comfortable as long as they were drawing salaries. A principled person can not work in such a horrible environment. Indeed they deserve to be disciplined.
As far as I’m concerned, the major problem at Kitwe Central Hospital is lack of proper supervision. Each and every personnel at the hospital is in his or her own world oblivious of their surroundings. Rat eradication if done consistently, is a very simple and cheap exercise. And pesticide or rodenticide immunity simply describes the decreased susceptibility of a rodent or pest population to a particular pesticide. Now what can stop management from using different types of pesticides? Simple thinking.
Sinkamba , that’s too complicated …..
Just get 10 hospital cats and those rats will be gone…
Sinkamba , that’s too complicated …..
Just get 10 hospital cats and those rats will be gone…
Sinkamba , that’s too complicated …..
Just get 10 hospital cats and those rats will be gone…
Why is everything so complicated with Africans ???
You will find the rat problem is a deliberate manifestation to solicit bribes…..
Just get hospital cats.
Newly-recruited doctors unpaid for 2 months, lecturers at Nkumbi International College unpaid for 3 months, Uganda-based medicine supplier to Zambia not paid for 2 years. Where does money to control rodents in hospitals come from under these circumstances? But money to fund by-elections in Mwansabombwe and Lukashya is no problem.
One Minister cannot be ‘jack of all trades’, and neither can doctors nor nurses. This is why jobs are delegated.
What has the hospital manager been doing, when clearly this infestation has increased… waiting for the minister’s instructions? Must you always wait for instructions when faced with problems? I would say, use initiative – for instance, regular wall to wall cleaning exercises will help.
What you cannot do, is to just sit back in the office and twiddle your fingers. Even in your own home, when you notice rats about, you devise means of eradicating them; it doesn’t always need lots of money. Why not apply this tactic in a job setting?
Initiate action and shame the Ministry for lack of leadership or funding…whichever!
Your Excellency Dr ECL replace honorable Chilufya with honorable Lusambo to shark up these health institutions like late President Michael sata did when he was Health minister in MMD ,it does not not necessary need Degree holders to sweep health institutions.
Simple administrative issue!!! No need for the Hon. Minister to come in and issue threats. Where is the administration manager?
This problems of rodent was also there at Ndola Central Hospital especially the Kitchen area and no one paid attention to it because there is simply no money from government . Leaders go for off shore treatments and cannot be bothered about their local Hospital .If you were to ask ;when did the area MP last visit KCH ? It is may be before elections .Next year he will go to KCH pretenting he cares about the place when in actual fact he only cares about what he can get out of politics .
We have a very big problem in Zambia. No alternative politician. This kind of Dobo thinking is very dangerous to the nation. Others are just political advocate of a province, some are advocate of a colapsed town. Fwaka yanseke ibi.
Does this hospital have a Hospital Administrator?