MQHZ PRESS STATEMENT – MONDAY 23RD MARCH, 2020. MINISTRY OF HEALTH MUST STOP USING CLINICAL STUDENTS TO COMBAT CORONA VIRUS

Medical for Quality Healthcare in Zambia (MQHZ) Director General Dr Quince Mwabu

MQHZ PRESS STATEMENT – MONDAY 23RD MARCH, 2020.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
MUST STOP USING CLINICAL STUDENTS TO COMBAT CORONA VIRUS

Medical for Quality Healthcare in Zambia (MQHZ) is demanding that the Ministry of Health should stop using clinical students in trying to combat the spread of the Corona Virus.Using students is heavily compromising this crucial struggle against Covid 19 in Zambia.

Instead of deploying students,MQHZ implores the Ministry of Health to recruit trained health workers who are currently jobless. We are aware that thousands of health workers all over the world have contracted the Corona virus in their course of work.This clearly means that we need well trained personnel to effectively discharge preventive as well curative measures against the virus. We do not want our students to risk their lives when government can easily engage well qualified staff.

British High Commissioner to Zambia Nicholas Woolley with Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya at Ndeke House

We call upon the Ministry of Health to send all clinical students home.
We further ask the Government of the Republic of Zambia to take this crisis very serious and learn from what other African countries are robustly handling this pandemic. We need mandatory quarantine of all social groupings and gatherings in Zambia.We also need to implement travel bans to and from Corona Virus hit Countries.

As an organization, we want to take this opportunity to stress the fact that being Chinese is not synonymous with having COVID-19.It is very important for people to understand that all Chinese in Zambia who have not travelled out of the country are free of the virus and should be treated without any suspicion.

Issued by:

Dr Quince Mwabu
MQHZ Director General
+260977993440/+260966121488
Email: mwabu@mqhz.org
Website: www.mqhz.org