By SIMON MUNTEMBA
THE doctors swear the Hippocratic oath and can not go against this for personal interests unless they are being swayed by other forces, the Patriotic Front has said.
In an interview, PF media director Antonio Mwanza said there was no justification whatsoever for the junior doctors to strike when the government has cleared their arrears.
His remarks follow reports that all the juniors doctors country wide would from Monday stage a go slow to press for the payment of arrears, gratuity and settling in allowances accrued from 2015.
Resident Doctors Association President Dr Byran Sampa revealed that the resolution to go on a go slow was arrived at after a virtual meeting on Wednesday evening.
But Mr Mwanza wondered why the junior doctors were planning to strike when government paid in full the 306 out of 309.
“They are not being sincere because the grievances that they are raising were attended to, government employed 309 doctors nice months ago. Out of the 309, 306 have had all their arrears cleared as we speak as of today. So what is the basis for them to go on strike when their grievances were attended to?
“Do they just want to disrupt the health care system and make government look bad? Clearly, they are being motivated by something else and some of them may be used by the opposition politicians. Because their grievances have been met. What justification are they going to give?” Mr Mwanza asked.
He added, “But we would like to remind them that they are under oath to save lives and failure to do so has repercussions. Their calling is to save lives not politicking.”
He also said the Resident Doctors Association President was not a union, but simply an association which should not get involved in matters of administration.
He said matters of conditions of service and administration must be left to the Medical Association of Zambia which was mandated to do so.
