www.salvationarmy.org has just released an
article on Howard Hospital showing that all is well, at least on the maternity
ward (we already knew Joan Gibson was doing a fine job there). There are
no photos or descriptions of the male, female or children's wards, and it is
still unclear if Tariro Clinic, with its many supports including school fees
for orphans, is fully functional. "60 inpatients daily, most of whom
are on the maternity ward" admits to things still being
thin in a 144 bed hospital. It is, however, an improvement.
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| Captain (Dr.) Paul Thistle and Major (Dr.) James Watt Both have served (different periods) for many years as HH Chief Medical Officer |
Surgical patients are referred to Harare, but
nothing is said of who pays their fees, some US$ 3000 for an
operation. This is new: that the Norwegian surgeon will be
registered, without the required orientation, to do surgery and teach.
All the very serious questions have been
ignored. Instead we are given more spin, as if it can cover the wrongs
that have been committed. Worse, this is an action from the very top of
the Salvation Army leadership.
The question remains, if the hospital is
functioning normally, why are visiting donors forbidden to see the wards?
Howard is, after all, a public hospital. Those that have managed to get in past
the administration give a different picture than the one told here. We all
would like Howard to return to normal, and the new hospital to be finished and
occupied, but with the past history of misleading and even false reports from
Zimbabwe, I don't think we can give this glowing report much credence on its
own. It needs support (or otherwise) from independent sources.
More importantly, there is no evidence of any
change in the Salvation Army structures that caused patients to die, nurses to
be arrested and an excellent officer-doctor to be terminated. Until there
is, doctors should be reluctant to serve at Howard, as all this is
guaranteed to happen again.
Major (Dr.) Jim Watt (R)Canada
Former CMO
Howard Hospital
23 comments:
"but with the past history of misleading and even false reports from Zimbabwe, I don't think we can give this glowing report much credence on its own. It needs support (or otherwise) from independent sources."
I fid it incredulous that Dean Pallant was given the task to investigate missing funds and general corruption. The inspection should have been carried out by an outside audit firm, or at the very least, an accredited and certified auditor. Ideally someone retired, a person of complete impartiality.
Is it too far flung an idea to assume that the HH feature in All the World is the result of the relentless demands for transparency emanating from the FSAOF blog?
USA West Regional Chapter
“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” … Winston Churchill
"Is it too far flung an idea to assume that the HH feature in All the World is the result of the relentless demands for transparency emanating from the FSAOF blog?
USA West Regional Chapter"
Maybe, maybe not. If you want to believe it then it will be so and vice versa too of course. And no-one will change their thinking on it even if evidence to the contrary could become available.
Heed what Major Dr. Jim Watt (R) is saying folks - people like this still have first hand contacts amongst staff and officer colleagues in Zimbabwe.
Without an independent investigation being done, Jim is right, IHQ has told the world too many lies. They can no longer be trusted to tell the truth - only an independent investigation can be believed. Officers reporting have too much of a conflict of interest.
Quite right. I just wonder why there hasn't been an acknowledgement by TSA of the mistakes made. Maybe it's because no-one from Chiweshe has sued them? I've noticed that threat of litigation has a habit of bringing out the repentant spirit. TSA has said 'sorry' in a recent well-publicised scandal case to the tune of $15million in compensation.
As members we are told time and time again that we should repent of our sins and wrongdoing. It's therefore puzzling why TSA leaders don't do the same. After all, they are human as well. No-one expects them to be perfect.
'Saying 'sorry, we got it wrong' would be such a small price to pay.
So true.
TSA has said 'sorry' in a recent well-publicised scandal case to the tune of $15million in compensation.
It hasn't been well publicized to reach this side of the pond. I have never heard of TSA apologizing and so for that reason would be interested to see proof of this.
A friend of mine got a wrongful dismissal financial compensation years ago, settled out of court to avoid the court case, but no apology and no offer of his job back.
So I'd be interested to see proof of an apology in this case cited above. Is there an internet link to a news article? How was it publicized?
This case in Australia shows
TSA can compensate sex abuse victims to the tune of $15 million (rightly so), but can't pay for transportation of the seriously ill from Chiweshe to Karanda.
Of course, the poor people of Chiweshe can't sue TSA.
Exactly.
Absolutely.
Of course, the poor people of Chiweshe can't sue TSA.
Why would they want to sue the SA?
Reading all of the above, I think the point trying to be made was that it's only money that motivates TSA. Those hoping for an apology over HH would wait a long time unless TSA was threatened with lawsuits. That's my interpretation. Hope that helps.
Why would the people of Chiweshe want to sue the salvation Army?
Are you serious?
Families who are grieving the loss of loved ones might want to sue the Army for causing loss of life through their decision making which was to remove the community's only surgeon. Although a lawsuit can't bring back the dead, it might enable the family members who remain to have enough money to get medical care for the surviving family members if they were able to win a lawsuit against the Army.
But poor people have no money for lawyers, so TSA and many other organizations can get away with a lot.
'Sorry seems to be the hardest word.......'
It isn't just TSA that has a hard time saying sorry. When I was at Seminary in an Administration Class the professor said: "Never say sorry"! I disagreed, but we just had to agree to disagree.
Isn't it time for FSAOF to hang your hat now. You've done your damage. You've not had all the facts. Is Paul Thistle really a saint? Is the SA really a saint? No. Is God judge? Or FSAOF? Don't you know it is time to get off your soap box. You wouldn't expect too many formers to hold anything but a grudge and push it as far as you can. Well you've done it. Hope you are happy.
Dear, 'Well you've done it. Hope you are happy'
Here's what would make me happy, and perhaps the FSAOF too. Sit down and reflect on all that's been penned or posted by the FSAOF and you'll be surprised at how little the FSAOF has said pro or con. Mostly they've posted news from various media outlets. They've asked time and again for answers from HH and the SA, but none were forthcoming. But once it came via All the World, they had it up and running the very next day.
I'm absolutely certain that if you took the time to write about the current HH and SA Zim. situation that the FSAOF will post it.
Former
Atlanta
T o the person who posted: Isn't it time for FSAOF to hang your hat now. You've done your damage. You've not had all the facts…
Friend, we've had almost daily updates from HH, and what we haven't done is shared but a few. It's not that we don't believe those describing the situation. It's simply that there's nothing new.
You go on, ' You wouldn't expect too many formers to hold anything but a grudge and push it as far as you can.' Nothing could be further from the truth. The large majority of our members remain active Salvationists or serve in other churches. Many are local officers, dozens are Pastors/Ministers, and at any given time the FSAOF is active assisting 'formers' in returning to full time service.
Please visit our website; www.fsaof.org for a more complete picture.
Blessings- Sven
To the person who posted: Isn't it time for FSAOF to hang your hat now. You've done your damage. You've not had all the facts…
1/. Did you not notice this article your commenting on is not by a former officer (but a retired one - who was a predecessor of Paul's)?
2/. What damage has been done?
3/. If this group has not had all the facts, its because IHQ have refused to give them (they've given a few untruths), despite frequent requests for the same.
current soldier, local officer and TSA employee (but yes also a former officer).
Well said. No-one on here has ever said Paul Thistle was a saint - only that he was shabbily treated and deserved at least an apology. The only damage that has been done to the organisation is by TSA itself. By its total silence regarding the issue and ignoring the questions asked it has pushed people to try to find out things for themselves on the world wide web, and as a result even more unsavoury tales have emerged which would have remained unknown if TSA had had the grace to acknowledge its members' pleas. You said it - God will be the judge of this sorry saga.
I am neither a 'former' nor an 'active', but I've observed that the 'formers' are among the more generous contributors to this blog. The only sour comments have come from people who are in mental, physical and spiritual hock and thrall to the 'rules' of this self-serving movement.
To the writer above who asked 'So I'd be interested to see proof of an apology in this case cited above'.
Can't remember the site I saw it on, sorry, but it was on a news programme. Major Malcolm Roberts made a formal apology on behalf of TSA. Sorry for the late response.
I found the website with the news article and posted the website here for all to read but the comment was removed. Thanks. I found it on my own.
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