HEALTH SHUMBLES

THE country’s health care system is in a shambolic state.

This is reflected in the pathetic state in which the country’s biggest referral medical centre, the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) find themselves in.

At the UTH, its laboratories are nonfunctional because they do not have reagents and other basic necessities needed to operate efficiently.

What is most disturbing is that within the UTH complex, there is a privately-run laboratory that is well stocked.

The repercussions are obvious. The average poor Zambian can definitely not afford to access its services for the costs are beyond reach. It caters for the needs of the rich.

According to sources, all laboratories at the UTH, serve for the only private laboratory housed within the country’s biggest referral hospital had completely ran out of reagents.

Some departments are said to have run out of basics like line and that doctors and other medical professionals are getting exhausted with frustrations because they are unable to provide the services needed to patients.

“These days, when you go to the hospital or clinic, you have to be prepared because you have to buy basic medical supplies such as cannula, drip, plaster of Paris, cotton wool even Panadol syrup for children is not in hospitals,” one of the sources said.

It is sad that Government has allowed the situation to deteriorate to this level where the UTH and all smaller health centres do not have basic medicines.

It is not that the government does not have the funds. It is simply politicking that has been allowed to take centre-stage at the expense of the vulnerable patients.

If anything, the sad part is that Government has been procrastinating and politicking over the procurement of drugs and medicines.

Yet, it wants the nation to believe that drugs are in stock throughout the country when the story on the ground says otherwise as UPND Kaoma Member of Parliament Chinga Miyutu proved last week.

Last Friday, Health Minister Sylvia Masebo said in Parliament that hospitals and other health facilities across the country were well-stocked with essential medicines and other medical supplies, including insulin as well as IV Fluids after it was reported to have completely ran out in Kaoma.

But Ms Masebo told the august house that Kaoma was well stocked with insulin.

Even more disturbing is the fact that medicines are now being ordered to try and cover up the critical shortage.

ZAMMSA on Friday floated a tender for the supply and delivery of essential medicines, which expired yesterday.

But for a government that trumpets transparency in its dealings, immediately raises a red flag. It is even surprising that soon after Ms Masebo delivered her ministerial statement in Parliament, some traders in the supply and delivery of drugs were individually contacted to promptly submit their tenders, said some sources.

Of interest is the fact that said some of the traders have even started sourcing the essential medicines and other medical supplies from local pharmaceutical companies.

These have most of the drugs in their warehouses but have been blacklisted on the misunderstanding that they were aligned to the Patriotic Front regime voted out in 2021.

We find it unacceptable that the new dawn administration has chosen to play politics at the expense of people’s lives.

This must stop.