Let all senior officials seek treatment at public hospitals
(The Nyasaland Network of Health Systems bemoan the declining health delivery system)
Court clerk: All silence! The court of his Lordship Judge Mbadwa is now in session.
Judge Mbadwa: This tribunal is once again hearing an application from the Nyasaland Network of Health Systems Jolijo Job. Mr Job, why have you sought the indulgence of this tribunal?
Jolijo Job: My Lord, we have been in this court before and it is over three years since the Tokha Alliance assumed the reins of power with fanfare. My lord, whoever coined that expression that great expression make frustrated men was on point if you were to consider the current state of the health delivery system.
My lord, we know that the only time we had a properly functioning health delivery system was when the original Ngwazi was alive. We might be compelled to conclude that the health sector was prioritized because the first president of Nyasaland was also a medical doctor.
But that supposition cannot stand when one considers that almost every sector was thriving that time. So, the problem lies with the leaders who succeeded him because they have been groping in the dark really. From the chairman of the Yellow Party to the Moya and Mapuya brothers via Amayi, it hasn’t been smooth sailing in the delivery of health services.
And with Tokha Are Liars, our hope to see the poor getting the best health care in public hospitals is waning by the day. We now understand that even some hospitals run by churches or the private ones are failing to meet minimum standards
My lord, we agree the genial Minister of Health is making ‘efforts’ to resuscitate the comatose health delivery system.
But sadly my lord, the state of affairs in our referral and district hospitals leaves a lot to be desired. So, where are the efforts being applied to bring the much-needed change in the health delivery system?
The poor are treated with the same arrogance of the era of the People’s Demagogic Party while the hospitals remain heavily underfunded.
Health f a c i l i t i e s remain an eyesore while medical equipment is hardly available and the accessible apparatus is either not functioning or too tired to serve the modern needs.
My lord, the cries of health workers who sweat blood daily to save lives are hardly heard. In
T h e d i l a p i d a t e d buildings that resemble hospital wards continue to worsen by the day.
The job of clearing the rubble cannot be done using the same old techniques of pure talk and no tangible action.
My lord, why are we here? We want instant action on improving health delivery service and money is no excuse.
Mbadwa: We have noted gross negligence in the health sector and this tribunal squarely puts the blame on political leaders. I, therefore, order that no senior government official or political leader or their relatives will ever seek medical treatment abroad. They have been ordered to seek medical attention at public hospitals and we believe this is the only way they will ensue that our hospitals are functioning properly.
Clerk: All rise!
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