By Agness Changala
FDD leader Edith Nawakwi says President Hakainde Hichilema and his government’s “warped thinking” is causing Zambians to die like flies at Cancer Diseases Hospital (CDH) while he’s dancing “kalela.”
But State House Chief Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka said State House has decided not to engage Nawakwi.
“No, no I don’t really want to engage her. I understand her situation and we sympathise with her. That’s
all,” Hamasaka briefly responded.
Speaking to Daily Revelation on the state of health in the country, Nawakwi said only lucky ones are going to Tanzania and India to access medication but those from Kalikiliki and other poor neighborhoods have no access.
“People are dying like flies at cancer diseases hospital,” Nawakwi said. “Firstly, there is no diagnostic equipment. We have a country where you can’t diagnose any disease other than what the doctors are seeing in front them and in this day and age medicine has advanced.
“Unfortunately, Hakainde is so engrossed in ‘I am the first.’ The West is dancing Kalela with him while the people he is supposed to lead are dying like flies.”
She said the last purchase of equipment in University Teaching Hospital (UTH) was from the fund she organized from OPIC (Overseas Private Investment Corporation).
Nawakwi said the hospital was constructed under late president Fredrick Chiluba when she was minister of Finance, adding that she organized the funds when Professor Nkandu Luo was Minister of Health and the two of them worked very hard to get that facility to be constructed.
She said late president Levy Mwanawasa, equipped the facility from US$27 million dollars she organized from OPIC.
“Now from that time, cancer diseases hospital is a shell of itself. The whole country from Namushakende to Bweengwa, there is no facility… to deal with any type of cancer in this country, let alone diagnosed whether it’s MRI, all those equipment don’t only diagnose these diseases, but are emergency equipment for accidents. It’s not just about cancer but accidents,” she said.
Nawakwi said when she looks at members of parliament and President Hichilema she laughs because they lack common sense to raise resources.
“When I look at these members of Parliament and their President and I just laugh. I think they have no common sense. Because if you receive K28 million for Lusaka Central someone should be able to say from each Constituency can we get K5 million and buy equipment. Its common sense. But common sense is not so common with this government,” she said.
Nawakwi said she totally agrees with Dr. Canicious Banda in his analysis of how mentally unstable State House is in terms of “mental gymnastics” of what little resources available can do for this nation.
She said if K5 million was taken from each of the 156 constituencies, enough money would be raised to get the radiation equipment.
“And what is a priority? Is it a priority to build a school when a child suffering from leukemia you can’t treat that child? What is a priority for Hakainde Hichilema when he wakes up?” She asked.
“Is the priority just to dance around and say no the IMF (International Monetary Fund) is marketing Zambia? When he is talking to the West, he can actually tell these people USAID, the NORDIC countries, UK say… in Zambia like I did with OPIC I said in my country you can’t even do a simple test for cancer and there 27 million dollars was put on the table to construct that facility. But he doesn’t care.”
Nawakwi said it’s not about shortage of money, adding that there are many people in the world who can give the facilities but no one talks about it.
She said she has been to the hospital and seen how when someone is put in an MRI machine, it freezes because it has done too many images.
Nawakwi said the machine is supposed to do a certain number of images per day but they are so busy that they freeze and can’t work, saying at times it freezes with a human being inside it.
speaking specifically on the radiotherapy machine which has been down since last year, Nawakwi said, “I don’t have any message, I am just saying to them get up, work and think.”
She said she found those in government to be totally lacking in creativity and to them it doesn’t matter what you tell them or how you tell it to them.
Nawakwi said the cost of sending patients abroad was not being met by the government.
“I am telling you they are not funding. I know a very prominent person who they are supposed to fund but they can’t even fund. People whether they are from Namushakende they can’t afford, they are selectively paying for their relatives,” he said.
Nawakwi said if Tanzania can have equipment when there is a lady President there, government should do better because they say they are stronger.
” You see how they jump around and say no they know everything they are the first. Let Hakainde redo that place. The buildings are there. What is wrong with these Africans? What is wrong honestly? They say they have enough money to dish out to my constituency in Nakonde where no one is doing anything. Why not get that money and put it in the hospital? Nakonde hospital has got empty space and yet they say there is 28 million in Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Completely nonsensical. It’s not correct. The thinking is warped that’s why people are dying like flies,” said Nawakwi.
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