By NAMO PHIRI
President Hakainde Hichilema has been challenged to change the management at the Ministry of Health and put professionals that would be able to resolve the perennial shortage of medicines and other medical supplies in hospitals across the country.
And Mr Brian Mundubile, who is Patriotic Front (PF) presidential aspirant has decried the continued purging of civil servants by the UPND regime which has seen more than 300 civil servants including directors being sent home and their positions being filled by people perceived to be cadres of the ruling party.
Mr Mundubile said the current acute drug shortage had left many questions as to whether or not the people that have been put to manage the Ministry of Health were capable of delivering the mandate.
He said there was need for President Hichilema to ensure that he put the lives of Zambians first before putting loyalty in place because Zambians were the ones who had given him the privilege of superintending over the affairs of the country.
Mr Mundubile said this when he paid a courtesy call on Daily Nation Newspaper Limited Chairperson Dr Richard Sakala in Lusaka yesterday.
He said the fact that there was a problem at the Ministry of Health meant that someone was not doing their job and the President should therefore as the Head of State was being blamed for the wrongs being perpetuated by his appointees.
“It is unacceptable that the current government has failed to stock up the health facilities with medicine and what is more disturbing is that this sector was fully financed by the Ministry of Finance. The President therefore needs to look for a solution because one is left to wonder if management was the problem at the ministry, and if this is the case the President needs to look for professionals that can run the ministry and departments like ZAMSA,” Mr Mundubile said.
Mr Mundubile said the PF while in government ensured health infrastructure had reached the most remote areas of the country in a bid to ensure universal access of health services for all citizens, stating that and it was unfortunate that the UPND government had collapsed the health sector.
And Mr Mundubile has condemned the continued harassment and purging of civil servants by the UPND administration which has seen more than 300 civil servants including directors suspended and their positions filled by the ruling party sympthisers.
Mr Mundubile said the UPND was harassing and purging civil servants as if they were common criminals, cautioning that the vengeance and retribution crusade the UPND had embarked on was uncivil and unacceptable.
Meanwhile, Mr Mundubile called on President Hichilema to rethink his decision with regards to the continued export of power to other countries.
He said there was need to put the country first and ensure that the needs of Zambians are put first before thinking of other countries.
Mr Mundubile said the continued export of electricity by the government at the expense of Zambians has had very harsh consequences especially for the poor people who depend on small businesses that are run using electricity.
