Doctors sound warning

SIMON MUNTEMBA writes THE Zambia Medical Association (ZMA) has condemned public abuse of medical doctors in the workplace. This follows a video that has gone viral showing a patient disparaging medical officers at the University Teaching Hospitals (UTH), casualty and emergency area. ZMA secretary general, Dr Masiku Phiri, said the association was aware of the unfortunate incident and commended its members for the exceptional professionalism exhibited in the face of immeasurable provocation. “Yours is a calling and ethical vocation, but you are human too and we know to what extent you went to hold your ground. ZMA is immensely proud of you,” Dr Phiri said. He said the association had launched its own investigation into the matter in order to establish facts. In the meantime, he assured the victims that should the alleged offender be found wanting, ZMA would use all of its available resources to exhaust all legal channels over the matter. “Additionally, we are aware that there was presence of Police Officers at the scene with multiple witnesses and so are hopeful that a criminal case has been opened against the aggressor,” Dr Phiri said. Dr Phiri said it was saddening to note that at a time when health practitioners were deep in the mud fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, they were verbally abused by the patients. “At a time where over 40 Medical Doctors have contracted COVID-19 in the line of duty and are currently under quarantine, at a time where doctors are battling depression and mental illness because of what they have witnessed at the battlefront in the war against corona virus, the last thing we would expect is verbal abuse at the hands of a state agent,” he said. The Sun