Mr. President,
The failure of your government to resolve the current doctors’ strike in the country is an absolute affront to the dignity of all Tanzanians at home and abroad, sick and health, rich and poor; educated, uneducated and ill-educated! This strike was unnecessary and indeed unwarranted. It came as a sign of the failure of the people entrusted to lead the health sector in the country. It could have been prevented only if the leadership at the ministry and your government had taken seriously the concerns and demands of our health professionals which are well known to your government.
Mr. President,
While our people are dying and our healthy system shaken and the dignity of our people abused you haven’t said a word. You haven’t given any direction to the country. You left the country to go abroad – to a meeting that could have been attended by the VP au Prime Minister- and you wouldn’t come home to give the country your leadership at this time of national crisis. It is as if you do not care what is happening here. I refuse to accept that, I want to believe whatever you were doing abroad was somewhat very important compared to you coming home to help resolve this issue.
I will not be surprised however, that when you finally come home you deliver another “mbayuwayu” speech against the doctors and those who support them. Like the attempt by the Prime Minister the other day you might even give us more statistics of illusion to make us believe that the doctors in Tanzania fair way better compared to any doctor in the Southern Hemisphere, the just don’t know it yet!
Mr. President, threats and the use of force against the doctors will not change the nature of their demands nor will change the nature of the outcome of this strike. Only wisdom and negotiations can bring this strike to a halt, negotiations that are based on mutual respect, candor and truth. But this can only be done by a leadership that understand and appreciate the years that our doctors have tried to work through the system. The strike did not happen out of thin air; there are has been attempts over the years by the doctors to have their grievances heard and addressed but over and over the standard response has been given; “we are poor so we can’t”, “we will work hard to improve the welfare of the health workers”. Years come, years go the only real improvement occur in the welfare of our corrupt political elite!
Mr. President, you cannot wish the doctors’ demands to disappear like a Houdini act! The doctors and the demands will not go away just at the snap of your fingers! The problems will not disappear simply because your government doesn’t like them (the demands). It doesn’t matter if Dr. Ulimboka is arrested or neutralized; the legitimacy of the doctors’ demands still remains. Your government needs to address them promptly, patiently and precisely.
Mr. President, in one of the worst miscalculations of your administration the people are not turning against the doctors! The Wananchi are getting angrier with the government not with the doctors. I’ll tell you why. First, they don’t believe that the government doesn’t have money to improve doctors pay especially in the light of allowance increase by the MPs. Your government cannot make a rational argument that it doesn’t have money to improve doctors’ welfare (financial or otherwise). Wherever your government found the money to increase MPs allowances the same place it can find the money to improve the doctor’s allowances. As long as the MPs allowances -which were defended by your Prime Minister – still stand unchanged, the doctors’ demands will also be supported! Secondly, this strike was one of the stupidest strikes ever, it was not necessary and indeed it could have been avoided before it started only if the people the Ministry had the moral courage to lead!
Unfortunately, in the cacophony of the trappings of power the Minister, Chief Secretary and the Chief Medical Officer ignored all the signs of trouble. Abusing their powers they trio dismissed the demands by the striking doctors and harshly fired the interns. They proved that the trio is not capable of leading such a sensitive ministry. They have to resign or be fired and as long as they remain in office our people will continue to support the doctors against such a mediocre and incompetent bunch.
Mr. President, the choice is ultimately yours. You can force the doctors to go back to work by using security apparatus of the state; you can jail some of them and indeed you can even import substitute doctors from wherever you find them. The facts on the ground will remain the same – our healthcare system is broken, unsustainable and need extensive reform.
Yes, you can ignore the problem, you can belittle the doctors and indeed you can even dismiss all doctors. Indeed, you can force them to come back to work and they might come back to work but the damage to the reputation of your leadership has been done (some might say once again). I beseech you to consider taking a prompt intervention by talking with the doctors – not talking to the doctors! Only negotiations as I said should bring to a halt this strike. Without negotiations which end with a comprehensive deal our nation should prepare itself for a longer strike or another strike in the near future.
Mr. President, once again your nation is waiting to see your leadership.
MM
Very strong message,thank you,is he there for nation really?
I was so suprised when i had the =rime minister saying ,he couldnot see the doctors when they send for him a demand note,simply because he was scheduled for a burial trip to Arumeru.
At the burial site the most top goverment official where present,what did they disscus? Was there a need of their presence? while issues of matter arising left unsolved.
I wish Mr President could read your letter, and reply it immediately.
We don’t have leadership in this country, our president is busy in marrying new wives, traveling abroad and bribing his government officials with royal cars, packages and allowances, poor Tanzanians are left to die with the foolness! and our resources taken by foreigners without tax or someone to question.
Get up and stands the fruits of these country everyone deserves.
We are the most stupid than anyone in this world, how could we claps hands to someone pass through us with V8, brand new using our own blood and sweats while we have not have a nice meal for several number of days.
Your president doesn’t care. As long as his getting his share. The doctors took a vow as well to help their patients. So both parties should be blamed equally. It’s sad but I guess that is the harsh truth of our beloved country
Deat MM please translate this in Swahili and publish it in the popular Swahili magazine MWANANCHI,it is a strong message to all leaders of the state
Good constitution is needed soon to wipe all non serious leaders.MAKE SURE WE GOT A GOOD KATIBA SOON.
Lord have Merci on us. Our government is more than corrupted, top management is not taking good care of the people.
Mr. Presidar, PM and Minister for Health please act on this issue as soon as possible to rescue our fellow citizens who are seriously suffocating in the hospital.
Immagime how many people have died and some still to die if you delay? Please i beg you just go into negotiations with these doctors.
I would like to congratulate the PM for his innitiative which lead him to conduct a good and promising discussions with DOCTORS WHICH I HOPE WILL BEAR POSITIVE FRUITS. Again i am taking this opportunity to say Bravo PINDA for the action taken agaist the TOP OFFICIALS OF THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE especially for kicking off the PRINCIPAL SECRETARY-BLANDINA NYONI who was thinking and being assured by other unscruplus big potatos that she is the ALTMIGHT GOD OF THE MoHSW
Neither the president nor the minister of health should be blamed.
The prime minister is the causative agent of every thing. PM was supposed to chair a meeting with officials concerned, and propose to MR PRESIDENT just like Makinda did.
President is there to approve,and if there was a problem, PM COULD HAVE REQUESTED TO MR PRESIDENT on what to do before the crisis. Don’t blame the President while Prime minister is the head of ministries, PM is a great FAILURE. PRESIDENT SHOULD NOT COME IN BETWEEN EVERY ISSUE.
COMMENT WISELY
Mr MM this is a very strong message.i beg yuo to post in other medias so that many Tanzanians can read.most medias are sided with the government and are not telling the truth about the doctors demands.
For instance doctors are also demanding the government to improve hospital facilities..like increasing the number of beds. Muhimbili which is a national refferal hospital patients are sharing beds while others sleeping in the floor.
Even lay people know that sharing of beds in the hospital can easen the spread of infections
Doctors in Tanzania work under appalling conditions. Tanzania is a very rich country with lots of natural resources, but its resources are mismanaged and ill distributed. Corruption is the rule of the day and the political leaders dont care about the very people that they are supposed to save.
What is government? For who?
Why is it that poor countries like Swaziland or Mozambique can pay a doctor much better than Tanzania does? Why is it that everywhere in Tanzania the country is so dirty? Why is there no electricty? Why are the roads not developed everywhere? Why is a Tanzanian kept so ignorant of what is true elsewhere in the real the world? What is governemnet? For who? Why is the Tanzanian government not putting its people first? Why?
all sentiments echoed are correct but what is the way forward my friends we are still stuck with blaming and blaming either the govt or the doctors we need to all come of the wood works and help guide the process of reconciliation
MM
all i want to say is this Mr JK is there for his own benefits, so nothing will change.