The Children’s Environmental Health Foundation has thanked the Zambia Institute of Environmental Health (ZIEH) for successfully hosting the national environmental heath indaba amidst the COVID-19 panorama.
Speaking during the Environmental health Indaba Held at Lusaka’s MIKA Convention Centre, CEHF Chairman General Michael Musenga said that ZIEH’s efforts towards environmental health were exhilarating and encouraging to most stakeholders in the public health sector.
Mr. Musenga stated that it was such platforms such as the indaba where environmental and public health practitioners could discuss and come up with strategies and solutions towards environmental and public health challenges.
He also expressed gratitude to the institute and the entire health profession in the 10 provinces who pledged to enforce the COVID-19 National Health Guidelines by conducting regular monitoring under the guidance of the Statutory Instrument No. 21 and 22 as read with the Public Health Act Cap 295 of the laws of Zambia.
Mr. Musenga added that CEHF has to work with partners like the Zambian Institute of Environment Health for successful completion of the program and were thankful for the entrust on CEHF by ZIEH as it would bring a lot of benefits under the Public Health concept.
He said that CEHF has continued to educate communities and private and public partners on the effects of Lead-in-Paint, Dental Amalgam, Harmful herbicides and pesticides and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We really need to encourage communities about some of these issues and begin to make enforcement activities. To be understood, we need promote sensitization using public announcements systems under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting through the Zambia National Information Service,” he explained.
Mr. Musenga stated that ZANIS has a countrywide coverage that could cover wide areas including the rural areas.
He stated that there was a cardinal urgency to adhere to the National Health Guidelines and application of Statutory Instrument No. 21 and 22 enacted to support the Public health Act Cap 295 of Laws of Zambia in addressing public health issues and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Community is very cooperative and the only thing they need is sensitization and enforcement. For us to achieve maximum results, we need everyone to be aboard and work with the authorities,” he explained.
However, he metioned that there was need to take caurion in the way people who were not adhering to the guidelines were being handled.
The CEHF boss explained that there was no need of flogging members whenever they were found wanting instead let the courts of law and the local authorities take charge of public health offences.
Musenga stated that the Government alone cannot manage to combat some of the challenges that exist around public health and therefore it requires everyone to be active in observing the National Guidelines as stipulated by the Ministry of Health.
He appealed to all public health practitioners from all the 10 provinces of the country who were attending the Indaba to help government in spearheading and enforcing public and environmental health standards and this is the surest way to protect the citizenry.
The CEHF Chairman General also made a presentation to the 127 participants of environmentalists and public health practitioners that gathered at MIKA All Health Practitioners to monitor the compliance levels of COVID-19 National Guidelines to stop it from spreading.
He stated that let all join hands with the Government and stop Covid-19 from spreading so that dignity is restored in our communities. Corona virus disease should be stopped by ourselves and no to ways about it.
Mr Musenga was extremely excited to learn that ZIEH members pledged to monitor the COVID _19 health guidelines by educating and enforcing the law to stop the pandemic.