“No One Forced Them” - The Arrogance Of Power And The Betrayal Of Zambia’s Health Workers - Kateka

When history writes the obituary of failed leadership in Zambia’s health sector, one quote will stand out like a festering wound: “No one forced them to volunteer.”  These were the words of Hon. Elijah Muchima, Minister of Health, in response to the mass withdrawal of services by unpaid and overworked health professionals.  In a single sentence, the minister not only dismissed the lived reality of thousands of Zambian doctors and nurses but also exposed the moral rot at the heart of a government that has lost touch with its people. Chishala Kateka

This is not just a gaffe.  It is a declaration of contempt for the very people who have kept Zambia’s fragile health system alive through sacrifice, sweat, and silent suffering.

The Myth of Benevolence: UPND’s Hollow Boasts

Since assuming office, the UPND has paraded its recruitment of over 11,000 health workers and 30,000 teachers as a badge of honor.  President Hakainde Hichilema has repeatedly claimed that his administration is “creating jobs” and “investing in human capital.”  But these numbers, like much of the UPND’s economic narrative, are a mirage.

In September 2023, the Ministry of Health announced it would not renew contracts for over 3,500 health workers employed under the MOH/CDC Cooperative Agreement.  These were not just numbers on a spreadsheet, they were real people, many of whom had left stable jobs or relocated to serve in rural clinics.  Their reward? Termination letters and silence.

Meanwhile, the government continues to trumpet its economic “successes”: the accumulation of gold reserves, a stabilizing kwacha, and GDP growth projections under the 8th National Development Plan (8NDP).  But what is the value of gold in a vault when clinics have no gloves, no gauze, and no doctors?  What does a strong kwacha mean to a mother who loses her child because the nearest health post has no oxygen?

The Cost of Constitutional Vanity

While health workers protest and patients die preventable deaths, the UPND has found billions of Kwacha to fund a series of controversial and arguably unconstitutional constitutional amendments.  These include public consultations, legal drafting, and parliamentary sessions—all designed to consolidate political power rather than enshrine rights.

The irony is bitter: in 2016, the UPND rejected a referendum that would have guaranteed the right to health in Zambia’s Constitution.  Today, they preside over a system where health is still not a right, but a privilege, rationed by geography, wealth, and political expediency.

The Legacy of Volunteers: A History Forgotten

Zambia’s health sector has long relied on the patriotism of its professionals.  In the 1990s and early 2000s, during structural adjustment and economic collapse, it was volunteer doctors and nurses who kept the system afloat.  They worked without pay, often in dangerous conditions, driven by duty and love for their communities.

To now hear a minister sneer, “No one forced them,” is to desecrate that legacy.  It is to spit on the graves of those who died in service.  It is to tell every young doctor and nurse that their sacrifice is worthless. Health Minister Dr. Elijah Julaki Muchima

A Minister Unfit for Office

Hon. Elijah Muchima’s statement is not just insensitive, it is disqualifying.  A Minister of Health who cannot empathise with health workers, who trivialises their pain, and who weaponises their patriotism against them, has no business holding public office.

Leadership is not about numbers, it is about people, it is about knowing that behind every statistic is a story, a struggle and a soul.  And it is about ensuring that those who serve are not punished for their service.

The Reckoning Is Coming

Zambia stands at a crossroads.  We can continue down the path of propaganda, where gold reserves matter more than human lives, and where constitutional tinkering takes precedence over constitutional rights.  Or we can choose a different path, one where health is a right, not a favor; where workers are honored, not humiliated; and where ministers are held accountable, not applauded for their cruelty.

The people are watching, especially the meticulous appointment of ministers under the UPND.  The health workers are rising. And history will not be kind to those who chose power over people