Medical Tourism Is Hurting Zambia Under the Constitution, all Zambians are equal under the law, but sometimes it would appear that some Zambians are more equal than others. When Kazimu Sata, the son of President Michael Sata, suffered injuries in a terrifying road accident recently, he was swiftly evacuated to South Africa for treatment by air ambulance. However his two other friends, who were passengers in the vehicle and who also suffered serious injuries, were left behind to recuperate at the less glamorous Ndola Central Hospital. A Government official disclosed to us in an interview that while Kazim was evacuated, the two other passengers, who are children to Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Susan Kawandami, were abandoned. Another source tells us that even Kazim had some trouble getting proper treatment, as First Lady Dr. Christine Kaseba had allegedly initially intervened to block several efforts to send a helicopter. The unconfirmed source appeared to allege that there was no love lost between Kaseba and injured step son, and that evacuation was only possible after his brother Lusaka Mayor Mulenga Sata and Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda personally went to the Copperbelt to oversee his evacuation. Of course this isn’t the first time that a prominent Zambian has departed to another country to receive medical care. We’ve lost count of the number of trips President Sata has made abroad (on the taxpayer’s money) to receive medical treatment, most recently for more than two weeks in Israel. He’s not alone, of course. Most members of Zambia’s political elite travel abroad for their medical care – most often to South Africa, but in the case of President Sata, there have been many trips to both the United Kingdom and India. There is nothing morally wrong with seeking the best available care, and certainly most people have the common humanity to wish a speedy recovery to both Kazimu Sata as well as his father, the head of state. We very sorry to hear about Kazimu’s accident and pray for his recovery, but shouldn’t we also pray for the recovery of his friends who were left behind? Generally speaking, the fact that so many wealthy people choose to travel abroad for their care instead of working to develop Zambia’s medical care capacity hurts the national interest. Looking at the recent drama over the administration of affairs of University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka, with low wages, poor equipment, and striking nurses, we can see the beginning of a huge problem that our most prominent citizens do not care about … because they can simply hop on a flight whenever they aren’t feeling well. What if we had a situation where the children of our politicians were obliged to receive their care in Zambian hospitals? No doubt we would begin to see immediate improvements to the training, equipment, funding, and innovation of healthcare facilities throughout the country. The former Vice President George Kunda passed away in April 2012 – he received all his healthcare in Zambian hospitals. Might he have lived a few years longer if he was a medical tourist? We can never know, but if more leaders followed his example, we would definitely see more investment in our hospitals. Zambia is gifted with abundant natural resources, and there’s no reason why we can’t become a regional leader in healthcare if we make it a focused policy, attracting talent and investment from abroad, to give the best and brightest minds the opportunity to develop world-class healthcare facilities right here at home. I don’t fault anyone for traveling abroad for care, especially because right now that’s where you have to go to get the best treatment. But isn’t it time that we started working on closing this gap and creating higher quality healthcare options right here in Zambia? Until we do so, the equality envisioned in our constitution will remain more of a concept than a reality. zambiareports/2014/07/17/medical-tourism-hurting-zambia/
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 14:34:07 +0000
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