President Michael Sata today visited the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) to inspect the water crisis that forced the institution to suspend operations yesterday.
UTH suspended operations at its maternity ward and theater owing to a critical water shortage that has persisted for about one week.
After the institution announced that it had suspended operations, President Sata made a surprise visit to the largest referral hospital at about 10:30 and had a tiff with UTH and Lusaka water management.
UTH managing director Dr Lackson Kasonka, Health Minister Dr Joseph Kasonde, Local government minister Emerine Kabanshi and other senior government officials waited for the president’s arrival at the Institution’s administration office but President Sata arrived at the Pediatric department causing the ministers to run after him.
By the time the minister were arriving at the pediatric hospital, the Head of State had already finished touring the department and was heading to the main water tank located within UTH premises.
There the president questioned UTH management and the Lusaka Water and Sewerage team that was present why the institution had ran out of water.
“You Dr Kasonka, why don’t you have water in this tank… How much water do you have in there? I would rather have the rest of Lusaka without water but this institution needs to have water. Can you imagine if your relative is sick here and there is no water how can they survive? They cannot do anything without water. So can you ensure that you have water here both in the ground tank and the main tank, I don’t care if the rest of Lusaka doesn’t have water,” president Sata said.
Lusaka water and sewerage management explained that their job ends at supplying water to the institution and that UTH decides how to use it.
The President left UTH around 11:30 hours after warning UTH management and the minister of Health of stern measures if the situations remains the same.