Government has set service delivery as a core pillar of its eight fundamental pillars in the health system strengthening model.
In a media briefing held in Lusaka , Minister of Health Dr. Chitalu Chilufya said that government was determined to provide affordable and quality health services across the continuum of care to all Zambians.
“All we will do is to enhance service delivery and thus we must address human capital development and must address the deficit, iniquity and inadequacy in human resource.” Dr. Chilufya said.
He said that government had set a target of recruiting over 30, 000 health workers before 2021 and that they had recruited over 50 percent of the target so far.
“As we speak, we have more than 300 complete primary health care facilities and five specialists hospitals which include Levy Mwanawasa Expansion Project which is still under construction.” he explained.
And in relation to the core pillars,Dr Chilufya said government intends to improve the health infrastructure system by building 500 primary health care facilities and six specialist hospitals in order to reduce the need for transferring patients abroad.
Meanwhile Head of Advocacy Planning and Development of the Church Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ) Yorum Siame described the year 2018 as a year of action towards the health sector.
“Civil Society would like to applaud the government for the successful first ever kidney transplant that was conducted at the University Teaching Hospital by the combined team of Zambians and Indian doctors.” said Siame.
Mr Siame said that this served as a testimony of a maturing health system in the country which was fundamental for development.
He said that cooperation between Civil society and government was a stepping stone for the health system which would facilitate a world class system of medical procedures.
However, Mr Siame urged government to find ways of ensuring availability of services such as immunization, family planning and Anti Retro-viral Therapy(ART).
The CHAZ Head of of Advocacy Planning and Development said that the desire to provide quality health services is met by the reality of limited resources and therefore it was necessary to use the resources in the most effective manner.