Doctors Demand Jobs, Government Expands Parliament: A Nation at a Crossroads

Doctors Demand Jobs, Government Expands Parliament: A Nation at a Crossroads

By Kumwesu News Analysis Desk | June 2025
In a move that has sent shockwaves across Zambia’s healthcare and civic landscape, the Resident Doctors Association of Zambia (RDAZ) has announced that all volunteer resident doctors will withdraw their services effective Monday, 2 June 2025. The decision comes after prolonged silence from government authorities despite the doctors’ critical role in sustaining over 50% of public hospitals without contracts, salaries, or job security.

This comes at a time when the government is actively pushing for a constitutional amendment process that would increase the number of constituencies and expand Parliament, triggering heated national debate over priorities, governance, and the value of life versus political power.

⚖️ Public Health Crisis vs Political Expansion: Where Are the Priorities?

Zambia is not facing a constitutional breakdown. What it is facing undeniably and urgently is a healthcare emergency, deepening youth unemployment, and a soaring cost of living. Yet, amidst these pressing challenges, the government’s primary focus appears to be expanding parliamentary representation through delimitation, which will result in more MPs, more salaries, more allowances, and increased administrative costs.

Critical Question: How does adding 30+ MPs solve the immediate crisis of healthcare delivery and youth unemployment?

Health economists warn that the cost of creating new parliamentary seats — potentially hundreds of millions of kwacha annually — could instead employ over 1,000 doctors, restock essential medicines, and rehabilitate neglected rural health posts.

🧑‍⚕️ Unpaid Doctors: A Backbone Taken for Granted

Since 2023, hundreds of medical graduates have continued working under a voluntary system due to lack of formal employment opportunities. Many of these young professionals face evictions, depression, and career stagnation even as they deliver life-saving services to an underfunded, overstretched public health system.

Despite repeated appeals to government, little action has been taken. Now, RDAZ says enough is enough.

“This is not a strike. This is a stand against exploitation,” said a statement by the association.
“We are trained professionals, not a stop-gap measure for budget shortfalls.”

🏛️ A Parliament That Walks Out — But Wants to Expand?

Adding fuel to public frustration, just weeks ago, members of the ruling party walked out of Parliament when opposition MPs attempted to raise a Point of Order on the cost of living. Critics argue that this behaviour undermines the oversight role of Parliament and sends a chilling message: that elected officials are increasingly unwilling to face hard questions.

At the same time, Zambia continues to hold costly by-elections, some triggered by lower court rulings rather than Supreme or Constitutional Court judgments raising questions about judicial consistency and political manipulation of local governance.

Critical Question: If Parliament cannot debate basic bread-and-butter issues like hunger and health, is it truly representing the people?

🌍 International Confidence at Risk

In April, the United States government quietly froze a portion of its bilateral assistance, citing concerns over deteriorating accountability mechanisms, especially within Parliament and procurement systems. Analysts fear that continued governance missteps may lead to a further erosion of donor confidence — just as Zambia negotiates fresh financial rescue packages from the IMF and World Bank.

🗣️ Constitutional Reform or Political Cover-Up?

While delimitation is not inherently unconstitutional, its timing and opacity are problematic. Legal experts argue that changes to the Constitution should follow broad public consultation, independent legal review, and national consensus. None of this appears to have occurred.
Instead, what should be a national dialogue has become a partisan project one that may distract from Zambia’s real emergencies.

Critical Question: Should constitutional change be driven by public need or political calculus?

🧠 What Should Leadership Look Like?

Responsible governance means difficult decisions, yes but it also means putting people first. Employment for doctors, investment in rural clinics, and improvement in maternal and child health outcomes are not luxuries. They are obligations.

A government that expands the size of its political class while failing to hire life-saving professionals sends a dangerous message: power before people.

⚠️ What Zambia Needs Right Now

Immediate Engagement with RDAZ – Employ trained doctors. Secure the backbone of healthcare delivery.

Freeze on Non-Essential Constitutional Amendments – Pause delimitation. Prioritise public consultations.

Transparent Budget Reallocation – Reinvest political expansion costs into public services.

Restore Confidence in Parliament – Ensure debate on urgent social issues is protected, not avoided.

Audit Judicial-Political Interfaces – Prevent manipulation of by-election outcomes through lower court activism.

🧾 Final Thought

This is a watershed moment for Zambia. The choice is clear: invest in health or in political expansion. Listen to the cries of the people or drown them in partisan maneuvering. Save lives or count seats.
If government insists on expanding Parliament while doctors walk off the wards, it will have answered for itself and history will not forget.

June 1, 2025
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