Hello there,
Between the wet season and me is the opening of Parliament by Republican President Rupiah Bwezani Banda.
A prestigious opening parade was displayed for him: I thought the Queen of England was visiting!!
But a few kilometers from parliament buildings, the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), an institution founded to help end health woes the country was facing after independence, faces urgent needs.
But it looks like the UTH's days are over. Wherever you look, except the new cancer ward, everything else stinks. For example, to get a bed in the so-called 'filter' ward, you have to bribe someone.
Everywhere you look, a person is laying down awaiting medical attention they won't receive. It's as if the hospital is about to be closed. Dead bodies lay on the floor unattended.
I asked a friend of mine where doctors got their motivation from and all he could do was laugh.
If what I saw at UTH on January 17, 2009 is the true meaning of responsible healthcare, I must then be living on borrowed times!!
I am hoping someone, maybe the media or the donor community or some responsible person will walk into the corridors of UTH and grab the president's attention.
How was Dr. Chituwo managing? Which parts of UTH re more important than others??
MM