President Levy Mwanawasa says adequate transport, human resource and appropriate infrastructure is vital in the provision of quality health services in the country.
Dr. Mwanawasa said that the national vision in the health sector was to provide all citizens with equity of access to affordable, cost effective and quality health services
that are close to them as possible.
The President attributed the country’s high maternal mortality ratio was partly to inadequate transport in the health sector.
Dr. Mwanawasa made remarks in a speech lead on his behalf by Defence Minister George Mpombo when he handed over 17 land cruiser and 38 motor bikes to the ministry of health in Western Province.
The President said that the handover of the motor vehicles was part of the on-going exercise to provide each of the 72 district with a vehicle .
He said that the vehicles will strengthen the delivery of health services and significantly contribute towards the safeguarding of lives in the province.
President Mwanawasa said that the handover of motor vehicles to the Ministry of Health demonstrates the seriousness government attaches to national development
Dr. Mwanawasa said government has embarked on countrywide constructing hospitals in places that previously had none such as Shangombo and Kaoma districts in Western provinces.
Other districts where the construction of hospitals is going on are Kapiri mposhi, Chadiza and Isoka districts.
The copperbelt, Eastern, Central, North-Western and Northern provinces have
already been presented with vehicles.
And speaking at the same function, -Health Deputy Minister, Lwipa Puma said adequate supply of drugs to the hospitals would enable the majority of Zambians access the drugs.
He said that government is working tirelessly to address the many challenges in the health sector as witnessed by the handover of 17 motor vehicles and 38 motor bikes to the Ministry of Health in Western Province.
And Western Province Minister Adonis Mufalali bemoaned the inadequate transport service in the Ministry of Health in the province.
Mr. Mufalali said the vehicles giving to the province which had been handicapped in terms of transport was an indicator that the new deal government was committed to improving the delivery of quality health to its people.
He has since cautioned the controlling officers to ensure that the vehicles
are put to good use and serviced at appropriate times.
The forgotten Barotse Land can now shine with the rest of Zambia. Well done.
Newsflash, Levy! Bring back Zambia Airways so that you can fly adequately to London for treatment.
Not a razor blade of a road, please. Levy, this time before you start constructing that road copy from Botswana, where they think before they start building roads.
Why is Levy narrow minded on transport? He needs to address not only Roda transport, but also Rail and Air Transport. Our roads appear to be designed by individuals without proper reseach. They are not designed and constructed with adequate shoulders for one, and there appears to be a complete absence of quality assurance on the end product. The top layer is most of the time not thick enough to withstand a combination of say two weeks of non-stop rainfall with heavy traffic loads of various weights.
Our railways are a sham. The concession must be stopped and Zambia Railways reconstituted. We are at the centre of huge economic movements and yet Levy sees nothing wrong with our railway system. Why is he lazy?
All well-read Zambians agree that the closure of Zambia Airways was wrong and had nothing to do wthi ownership, but management. We all know that efficiency has nothing to do with ownership but management. We need a GRZ that will recreat Zambia airways for us instead so that we become a global player in air transportation business. I do not believe in Zambian Airways due to its shady history and opaque practices. LAZ should have stepped in to examine the cries of the original people involved in the management buyout and how they were sacrificed by the new owners.
sEaaAv