THE Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, has ordered the suspension of a surgeon at Ligula Regional Referral Hospital in Mtwara Municipality, Dr Fortunatus Namahala, who refused to conduct surgery on a patient unless he was given 100,000/- bribe.
He also ordered the closure of all
pharmacies outside the regional hospital with effect from Monday. Mtwara
Regional Administrative Secretary, Mr Alfred Luanda, was tasked with
ensuring smooth implementation of the directive.
The Premier issued the directive in a
meeting with the hospital’s employees after inspecting various
departments where he received a number of complaints from the patients
on poor services and demands for bribe by medical personnel.
Mr Majaliwa had an audience with a
patient, Ms Tatu Abdallah, who told him she had to sell her 2.5 hectares
of land to secure money to pay Dr Namahala the 100,000/- he had
demanded.
“On February 1, I took my father to this
hospital and I was told he has to undergo an operation. I was given a
prescription to buy medicine worth 85,000/- in a pharmacy situated
outside the hospital in addition to availing the hospital of three
surgical stitches.
On top of that, I was required to pay
the doctor 100,000/- but until February 7, nothing was done,” she had
lamented. Ms Abdallah further told the PM that to her surprise, nothing
was done but was asked to send her father back on February 16. “My
village is very far from here.
This dismayed me a lot. We went back to
the village where I had to sell my plot to enable me pay 560,000/- for
my father’s operation at a private hospital.”
She told the prime minister that her
presence at the hospital was prompted by the need to look for the doctor
who prescribed the medicines and other items to give her the items or
money back as she did not enjoy services.
It was at this juncture when Mr Majaliwa
asked Ms Abdallah if he could identify the doctor and when she
responded that she could, all the doctors at the hospital were paraded.
She immediately flushed out Dr Namahala.
“Mr RPC; make sure this woman is not
harassed at all. Corruption is unacceptable. This doctor has to be
suspended,’’ the prime minister ordered.
The premier further directed the
regional administrative secretary (RAS) and the Prevention and Combating
of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to make an immediate follow up to take
proper action against the surgeon.
He insisted on the need for medical
personnel to observe ethics and code of conduct in addition to stop
charging children and pregnant women as it was against the health
policy.
Mr Majaliwa also directed hospital
authorities to make sure there is a special doctor, special desk for the
elderly and the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) desk.
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