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Nurses at Dowa district hospital are said to have abandoned their workstations as a way of forcing the Ministry of Health to respond to their demands that some staff suspected of mismanaging the health office, be removed.
According to Zodiak Online, a petition presented, revealed that the nurses are demanding that their hospital administrator Magret Kalanda and Transport Officer John Phaso be reassigned elsewhere away from the district.
One of nurses who only identified herself Mrs. Mwitha said the nurses will only resume work until their requested action is taken against the two officers.
“These two are destroying Dowa District Health office. We want to correct our image because when things go wrong people accuse nurses,” she said.
A seven-day ultimatum the nurses sited in their petition on the matter has expired.
“We have complained about this for a long time. We are now tired,” Mrs. Mwitha.
The nurses complain that the management fails to take patients from health centres claiming that they do not have enough fuel for referral services.
The nurses accuse the two of connivance to mismanage resources meant for health service delivery.
“Patients who need attention from the district hospital fail to come to the hospital in time as management always complain of fuel,” said Mrs. Mwitha.
Spokes person for the office Mr. Daniel Chilomo said he is aware that the nurses have downed tools but he blamed the nurses for failing to follow right procedures in presenting their grievances.
“The nurses were supposed to wait for the ministry to respond to their grievances. They should understand that the response cannot just come in an overnight,” said Chilomo.
