Patients cry foul at Kamwala Clinic
By KALOBWE BWALYA PATIENTS seeking medical services from Kamwala clinic in Lusaka have complained against nurses forcing them to undergo for universal routine for HIV testing and counselling without being counselled.
The patients have since demanded for clarification from Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya on mandatory testing because some patients were shunning medicals due to lack of professionalism among some nurses at the clinic.
In an interview with the Daily Nation, Ms Mambepa Kapembwa, a Kamwala resident, said some nurses from at the clinic were harassing patients and instilling fear in them before they could be attended to.
Ms Kapembwa said, being the victim, patients were shunning medicals, instead they go to Kabwata clinic or Sikanze Police Hospital where they felt were mature and professional medical officers.
“On Monday last week in the evening, I was brought at Kamwala clinic with very high temperature, and nurses who were on duty refused to check for body temperature, BP, and weight demanding for HIV test and in full view of other patients on top of their voices. I felt humiliated after the results came out and thank God I came out negative,” said Ms Kapembwa.
Another victim, Ms Mercy Zulu from Misisi compound called on the minister to quickly move and explain the rationale over the mandatory testing.
She wondered why nurses from Kamwala clinic were misinforming the public over the matter that was straight forward, hence the need for sensitization.
“Nurses from Kamwala clinic needs sensitisation on HIV testing, because patients are being denied access to medical services until they go for HIV, and now patients have opted to go to Sikanze or Kabwata for medication where they feel their privacy was guaranteed,” Ms Zulu said.
And Mathews Ngulube of Madras area accused nurses of being unprofessional due to lack of knowledge and also lack of respect to patients because of the behaviour exhibited to patients.
He charged that health workers have failed to impact the required information that would help people go for HIV test. “People are afraid of seeking medical attention from Kamwala clinic because nurses are forcing patients to go for HIV test immediately without being counselled and were harassing patients that no one will access medical services without first knowing their status,” said Mr Ngulube.
Meanwhile, some doctors from UTH have allegedly been forcing patients to start taking the Anti-retroviral drugs particularly those diagnosed with tuberculosis even when they have not been diagnosed with the virus.