Open Letter To Hon. Sylvia Masebo, Minister Of Health.
Lusaka – 31st March, 2022.
Dear Ba Mayo Ba Masebo,
RE: The Expulsion And Blacklisting Of Chilonga School Of Nursing And Midwifery Students.
I hope and trust that this message finds you in perfect peace despite the many challenges and pressures of your very sensitive Ministry!
The main reason I have written to you, is over the issue of the expelled and blacklisted students from Chilonga School of Nursing and Midwifery in Mpika District. What was their crime? Dancing in the OPD while in full uniforms!
According to the Nurses and Midwives Act No. 31 of 1997, the disciplinary action taken against the four students is too grave. Why do I think so? Part II of the Professional Code of Conduct for Nurses and Midwives states that “Ensure that no action or omission on their part or within their sphere of responsibility is harmful to the interest, condition and safety of clients.” My thinking is that the dancing action was in no way harmful to the interest, condition and safety of clients in the hospital.
Under Part IV of Disciplinary Code For Nurses and Midwives, “Unprofessional behaviors bringing the professional integrity in disrepute” such as “Consuming alcohol while in prescribed uniform” prescribes ‘Caution’ in the 1st Breach while ‘Erasure’ is prescribed for the second and third offenders. Can the dancing action be compared to consumption of alcohol and drugs that can endanger human life?
Such dancing, even more graphic than that, is very prevalent during Nurses’ Day and no one bothers about it. Those young ladies have probably seen their seniors, serving nurses drinking alcohol like fish and dance in similar manner and no superior takes offence.
My plea to your office is please intervene in this case. Those young ladies were probably just behaving their age. They were having their time. They were probably expressing their happiness and delight about their career path. The path of serving humanity. Let the management at Chilonga School of Nursing and Midwifery show their parental love and attributes by embracing those young ladies and mould them into professionals they shall be proud of!
All they needed was counselling to help them ‘act’ their profession. Let not that harsh punishment be the reason why their future would not be realised and fulfilled. Please Hon. Masebo, kindly prevail in this matter so as not to derail their studies. Let these young ladies be restituted in the shortest possible time.
Looking forward to seeing these ladies graduate soon!
Your patriot,
Percy Mwale (Mr.)
percymwale@gmail.com
©2022 Eagle One Zambia, Inc.
Journalism for social change