Deputy Army Commander threatens to have contractor arrested

Zambia Army Deputy Commander Topply Lubaya has threatened to cause the arrest of managers for a named contractor who was engaged to construct and install equipment in the maternity ward at the Garrison camp hospital in Arakan Barracks.

Major General Lubaya said it was unacceptable that a resuscitator machine has never functioned since it was installed at the maternity ward.

A resuscitator is a cardio-pulmonary machine that helps restore a life of a critically ill patient.

This came to light today when General Lubaya inspected the maternity ward and the pharmacy wing at the Garrison camp hospital to familiarize himself with the operations of the hospital.

This was after a donation of five wheel chairs presented to the Garrison camp hospital by Maluba Rotary Club.

“It is unacceptable that this machine has never worked when huge sums of money were spent. Let us get to the root cause of that or else I will cause them to be arrested for failing to install it,” he said.

He said he was not aware that the camp hospital was facing such a challenge.

He was however happy that other pieces of machinery such as the oxygen cylinders were working at full capacity.

General Lubaya said the Garrison camp hospital has a catchment of 20,000 people in the surrounding Chilenje, Kabwata, Libala South and Woodlands suburb residential areas around it hence the need for the resuscitator to be functional to save lives.

He said expectant mothers and those who have given birth should not always be referred to the University Teaching Hospital.

Zambia Army Chief of Medical Services Brigadier General Abraham Malaya said the Garrison camp hospital also needs a standby generator to cushion the impact when there is an interruption of electricity supply at the institution.

General Malaya however said the institution was fully stocked with various medicines including anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs).