By Frank Kimboy
The Citizen Reporter
Dar es Salaam. As his attackers remain at large, colleagues of Dr Stephen Ulimboka have taken charge of his security at the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI), where he is recuperating after a severe beating mid-this week.
The doctors have formed a six-man team that is treating and protecting Dr Ulimboka amid fears that his enemies might try to harm him as he regains strength in the Intensive Care Unit.
Only close relatives are allowed to visit, according to the chairman of the team, Prof Joseph Kahamba. The move is also aimed at keeping at bay a wave of visitors in order to give Dr Ulimboka time for a much-needed rest. Prof Kihamba declined to give further details.
A source who did not want to be named told this paper that Dr Ulimboka is being watched round the clock under the close supervision of his fellow doctors and nurses. “Only his known close relatives and loyal doctors and nurses can get near his bed,” said the source.
Reporters and photographers who camped at MOI were blocked by civilian security guards and both entrance and exit doors were closed as activities at MOI plunged into paralysis. Those trying to get inside the institute had to endure an interrogation by the guards manning the entrance and the corridor leading to the ICU.
“We are under instruction not to let anyone in,” said one of the guards at the main gate. “We are only allowed to let in patients who come to have their wounds dressed.”
When pressed to reveal who gave the order, the guard responded that he was not the spokesperson of the institute. The spokesperson, Mr Juma Almas, did not respond to our calls.
Prof Kahamba, who heads the team that is treating Dr Ulimboka, told reporters he was now stable but the team would continue to keep an eye on him. “You know he has suffered brain concussion and pain in the chest, arms and legs so we will continue to pay close attention to him for as long as possible,” he said.
In the meantime, patients gathered outside the hospital entrance, waiting for the next move in the doctors’ strike. Patients who spoke to this paper condemned the situation and called on both parties in the dispute to settle their differences for the sake of wananchi.
“We heard that the government has directed us to go to private hospitals and the military hospitals,” said an emotional Christina Daniel. “But how many of us, the poor, can afford the private hospitals bills?”
Ms Daniel also took exception to the government’s instruction that the sick should go to military hospitals, arguing that those hospitals could not accommodate the large number of civilian patients.
“This is the heart of our national healthcare,” Ms Daniel added. “Even patients from Lugalo military hospital get referred to Muhimbili National Hospital. If it falls, the entire health system goes down.”
Meanwhile, the Tanzania National Nurses Association (TANNA) at Muhimbili has also challenged the government to find a lasting solution to the doctors’ strike.
A statement released by the chairperson of TANNA at MOI, Ms Prisca Tarimo, said the strike has placed a huge burden on the shoulders of nurses and expressed fears that something would give if the situation was not addressed soon.
Last Wednesday morning, the country woke up to shocking news circulating in social media that Dr Ulimboka had been abducted and tortured.
Dr Ulimboka, who heads the doctors’ interim committee that has been locked in a dispute with the government over pay and working conditions for several months, was abducted while with friends at Leaders’ Club in Dar es Salaam. He was beaten up and left for dead by unknown people at Mabwepande forest on the outskirts of the city. He was eventually found by a passerby.
Who wanted Dr Ulimboka dead remains a mystery and police in Dar es Salaam have formed a probe team to dig deep into the matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment