RDAZ DEMANDS AUDIT OF HEALTH WORKER RECRUITMENT DATABASE

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Posted by admin on April 14, 2026 at 5:27 AM

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The Resident Doctors Association of Zambia (RDAZ) has urged the Government, Civil Service Commission, and Ministry of Health to urgently establish an independent database audit mechanism to ensure transparency in the recruitment of healthcare workers.

RDAZ President Dr. Paul Chibwe said professional associations such as RDAZ, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and civil society should be involved in developing and executing the audit mechanism.

While commending the recruitment of 3,205 health workers, he stressed the need for structural reforms that guarantee fairness and restore trust among thousands of qualified professionals.

Dr. Chibwe explained that the audit mechanism would refresh the recruitment database annually to include newly qualified health professionals, while also empowering the ACC to investigate and prosecute officials involved in database manipulation and bribery.

He lamented that the database, meant to be a transparent registry, has instead been “weaponized as an instrument of corruption,” with credible reports of names being inserted or removed for bribes or political patronage.

He further highlighted concerns about the absence of a publicly accessible shortlisting methodology, lack of independent oversight of district and provincial HR committees, and reliance on outdated databases compiled years earlier.

Despite these challenges, Dr. Chibwe encouraged excluded healthcare professionals not to lose hope, assuring them that RDAZ will continue engaging government and stakeholders to ensure systematic absorption of unemployed health workers into the public system.

He also called on President Hakainde Hichilema to personally intervene, citing his reputation as a champion of transparency and accountability.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Alex Katakwe has announced that the recruitment database will undergo a review.