SYLVIA Masebo is igniting hate against medical doctors and other health workers by accusing them of being thieves who are stealing medicines from public hospitals by blaming all but herself for the persistent shortage of medicines in hospitals, Jackson Silavwe has said.
And Patriotic Front (PF) Lunte Member of Parliament Mutotwe Kafwaya says Ms Masebo should stop ridiculing Zambia’s health workers but should endeavor to appreciate their sacrifice because they work under difficult and frustrating conditions.
Mr. Silavwe, the Golden Party of Zambia (GPZ) president says order should be restored at the Ministry of Health by President Hakainde Hichilema taking action and resolve the chaos that has been created by Ms Masebo in the Ministry of Health.
Mr Silavwe said Zambians had continued dying needlessly while Ms Masebo had continued politicking, demonising and harassing medical workers at the expense of good service delivery in public hospitals and other health facilities.
He said accusing doctors and nurses of stealing medicines was unfortunate and would not solve the medicine crisis across the country.
The GPZ leader has advised Ms Masebo not to ignite hate amongst health professionals who were working under difficult circumstances.
“The Minister should not invoke terrible feelings towards health personnel, where when a person is sick and seeks for medical attention and have a predetermined mind that doctors and nurses are stealing medicines meant for their treatment.
If doctors are stealing medicines why are they not being arrested and having their pharmacies closed down? Government has enough mechanisms to ensure that whoever is stealing is brought to book,” Mr. Silavwe said.
And Mr Kafwaya said there were no drugs in hospitals for doctors to steal and that it was unacceptable for Ms Masebo, the Minister of Health to characterize health workers as thieves.
“There are no medicines and medical supplies in hospitals. Both the doctors and their minister are unanimous on this matter. This is why the minister thinks professionals are stealing, and professionals think there is nothing to steal as the supply chain is malfunctioning.”
Mr Kafwaya said. The Lunte lawmaker added that doctors and other health professionals are the latest victims of the UPND administration harassment.
He recommended that politicians should leave professionals in the public sector to serve without unnecessary suspicion and intimidation.
“Professionals will suffer due to incompetence of politicians. This is not just in the health sector but all around the public sector. Doctors and health professionals are the latest victims on this. How many times have I talked about the Auditor General and Finance staff?” Mr Kafwaya said.
He said it was not only in the health sector that were being mismanaged but all around the public sector that civil servants are being blamed.