THE HIDDEN TRUTH ABOUT THE HEALTH WORKER RECRUITMENT
From the Unemployed Doctor’s Diary
The unfriendly truth is that the system has just become congested. We have lost the mark as a nation when it comes to career direction in relation to market demands.
How is it possible that a nation that cannot produce its own Pírit0n, c0nd0ms, néedles, caànnulás, or even Pánad0l is committed to producing 1,000 doctors yearly to work in hospitals where they will be prescribing the very drúğs we can’t próduce on a daily basis?
Do you even realize that we do not need the huge numbers of the following professionals we are producing?
1. Doctors
2. Nurses
3. Clinical officers
I know most of you will argue, but let me put it this way as I focus more on doctors. You need to understand why 90 percent of school leavers with good Grade 12 results have been choosing to study medicine over other programs in the past 13 years.
1. There was an availability of job opportunities in the Ministry of Health for doctors more than any other profession until 2020–2021 when most of us had already joined the bus.
2. Good sálâries, as doctors have been among the highest-paid civil servants and professionals in the country from time immemorial.
3. Job security—as others call it. Once you are in, your future is secured.
Due to the reasons above, the following resulted:
1. Imbalance in enrollment at universities—most school leavers with good Grade 12 results opted for medicine over any other program.
2. Mushrooming of new medical schools to fill the demand for medical training.
3. Huge numbers of school leavers who were not accepted at local universities, those who were either afraid of UNZA and CBU or couldn’t be accepted, as well as those who failed from UNZA and CBU, opted to study abroad in large numbers.
As a result of the above events, we now have thousands of stranded doctors with no life survival skills but a dangerous sense of entitlement for government employment.
Coming back to the recruitment story—last October, we had over 2,000 unemployed doctors, out of which 500-plus were already in the database. The government, on the other hand, prepared only 391 positions for doctors to be recruited. That is why the cry about the database was lingering.
Now you need to understand this: even if they had selected everyone purely from the imaginary database, many people from the database would have still been left out because there were only 391 positions for over 500 doctors. When you look at 391 out of 2,000-plus unemployed doctors, it shows that the market is severely congested. Though the country’s population demands more professionals, clearly, the market does not need as many doctors as we are producing.
Do not hat£ the people on the recruitment list. They are not the cause of the problem but rather just bearers of a harsh reality.
Trust me, the problem is huge and needs an urgent permanent solution, not just massaging the situation. Many of those complaining about being left out today are not being honest. Let me explain:
1. You have been left out because the system is congested, not because someone else was picked. You can hat£ them all you want, but they are not the reason you were left out. Understand that when the system gets congested, it favors pe0ple with p0wer, auth0rity, and m0ney. Even if you were in their shoes, you would do the exact same thing.
2. The government is not obligated to employ you; it will only do so when it has the môney to pay salaries.
As a nation, we need serious career guidance and direction for our people. Our priorities are misplaced when it comes to career choices. Our children choose programs and go to school for the wrong reasons. Why should every intelligent student or anyone with good Grade 12 results become a doctor? That is so wrong. What we need instead are manufacturing, agriculture, and production industries to grow our economy—not just more cánnulâs and cǎthèters.
I am not here to sugarcoat the situation but to preach the truth that will help the youth grow and move on, especially those affected. As I conclude, here are a few things that should be done to decongest the system and relieve the government of deployment pressure:
1. The government should reduce the cost of doing business to motivate young people, including unemployed doctors, to enter entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship should not just be a backup plan when everything else fails.
2. The government should encourage and motivate school leavers and high school learners to pursue careers that will improve the following sectors:
• Agriculture
• Science (for manufacturing and production)
• Science (for research and innovation)
• Technology
• Economics and banking (We need a banking system that meets local challenges because there is no business without the bank.)
• Entrepreneurship (The government should engage seasoned and experienced entrepreneurs like me to educate, train, and equip its professionals.)
3. To those affected: you have more than what it takes to organize yourself, work around your unique abilities, and make a living. It starts with making a living first—then everything else will fall into place.
For any verification, reach me on 0961628456 / 0977280401.
By Dr. David Phiri
Credit Zambian Whisleblower
THE HIDDEN TRUTH ABOUT THE HEALTH
