Central Province PMO office abuse (Part 1)

Dear Editor,

Allow me space in your newspaper to air my concerns about the happenings at the Central Province Medical Office in Kabwe. When the Patriotic Front (PF) came into power in 2011, we saw changes and new appointments, something you expect when there is a change of office. As normal as this may seem, for the Central Province Health Office, this move came with a curse. A new woman was appointed from Mkushi as Provincial Medical Officer, Dr. Rosemary Mwanza, a change that many if not all health managers and workers are unpleased with. This is largely due to her bad and dictatorial tendencies. In as much as I agree with the fact that us Medical Doctors are not supposed to be managing districts and provinces due to the lack of managerial courses in our curriculum, this lady as compared to over two of her predecessors I was privileged to work with, she really is a pain to work with.

Firstly, she has managed to divide the PHO staff in such a way that those who do not agree to what she drives at are either sidelined or transferred. Imagine a PHO where an Administrative Officer has more powers than the likes of the Senior Human Resource Officer, Clinical Care Specialist and Senior Planner. Orders and other instructions are driven through an Administrative Officer who also speaks with vulgar and pomp. Such occurrences have really demotivated senior officers, some who have opted to seek transfers to other Ministries where things seem orderly.

Worshiping the PMO has become the order of the day. The PMO has managed to pacify all the new DMOs who by virtue of being in acting positions are keen on securing their full appointments. She has from time and again used them as elements to fight her enemies. This being the reason she used the new Acting DMOs in her fight against the former SHRMO, Gerald Tembo who managed to secure a transfer to Eastern Province out of frustration. All provincial transfers are determined by her, its either she likes the officer for the transfer to materialize or if not, then she cancels anything that the HR Committee decides on.  Last year, she managed to secure a transfer for her long time ‘chola boy’ from Mkushi as Acting Planner at the Provincial Medical Office against the person we in Provincial HR Committee had selected. Imagine DMOs spending fuel, allowances and time to be in a meeting to decide on issues which are cancelled at the stroke of her pen in a second. These are known issues in central province.

Financially, the Provincial Medical Office in Kabwe has lost fiscal discipline since her reign began. When you take a look at their cash book, her movements and those of officers so loyal to her like the Administrative Officer and Senior Internal Auditor take the highest toll. It is during her time as PMO that the province cannot hold any meeting without asking the districts to sort out themselves on all costs. I have worked as DMO for over Seven (7) years, I have never seen this kind of imposition on already strained districts. From which allocation do they draw such moneys anyway?

A lot of activities have turned into academic exercises now, due to financial limits and her push for them to occur even without the right officers. Performance Assessment, Technical Support and Other Audit activities are under her discretion. Imagine, next week, she has imposed a Provincial Integrated Management Meeting where individual district performances are reviewed in all key programs, disappointingly only us DMOs and Provincial Program Officers will attend. This is the first time this important meeting will sideline Clinical Care Officers and Planners. So what will us DMOs discuss? Our meeting has been chaotic and poorly coordinated. All this sI due to her failure to heed to advise. Its a known factor guidance usually comes from these managers. Chitambo, Serenje, Mkushi, Ngabwe, Luano, Chisamba and Itezhi tezhi have new DMOs, mostly acting. So what will they contribute in these meetings?? Anyway, that is one example of her dictatorial tendencies on important issues.

Additionally, the province has been performing badly since her rise to the position of PMO. She is an absentee PMO, ever on the move, either with politicians or partners. Delegation of duty where finances are concerned is not possible for her. This has contributed to the haphazard application of interventions in the province leading to plummeting indicators since last year. I implore the Ministry of Health to intervene on this issue even by taking an audit in districts to see whether the management of programs in the province is done correctly.

Finally, this is part one of my piece of writing. As an experienced person, I will in an all honest manner engage you the media in exposing the inefficiencies in this province which have been ignored by the powers that be. These things are only  happening now under a cadre who was appointed by some friend much to the harm of the systems we laboured to put up in so many years.
To be continued…

Concerned MO