Thursday, March 28, 2024

Govt gives 164 ambulances and utility vehicles to all provinces

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Government has provided 164 ambulances and utility vehicles in all the nine provinces at a cost of K25 billion.

The government has also installed theatre, x-ray and ultra-sound machines in 71 hospitals countrywide under the ORET project, a GRZ-Dutch government initiative.

Officiating at the graduation ceremony of general nurses, midwives and theatre nurses in Lusaka today, health minister Brain Chituwo said government’s investment in the health sector is beginning to bear fruit.

This was in a speech read for him by his deputy Dr lwipa Puma.

Dr Chituwo said as a result of various measures the government has continued to place, maternal mortality ratio has since dropped from 729 to 449 per 100,000 live births.

The Under-Five and Infant Mortality rates have also improved from 168 per 1000 to 119 per 1000 and 95 per 1000 to 70 per 1000 respectively.

Government was happy that besides medical doctors and other health workers, all tutors of nurses at every level have been put on the retention scheme.

Dr Chituwo said because of this, schools of nursing that had at one time been closed, are now being re-opened.
The treasury authority has therefore been given authority by the Ministry of Finance and National planning to employ 5,263 health workers.

He said government is aware that to realise the vision of a prosperous and middle income nation by 2030,a vibrant health workforce is extremely vital.

Dr Chituwo said the nation requires a total of 51,414 health workers to be able to provide optimal health services to the citizenry but presently there are only 26,523 workers.

He said however that the ministry has embarked on the recruitment of more health personnel folowing the granting of treasury authority by the ministry of finance and national planning.

In accordance with this authority, the ministry last year recruited 1,300 new health workers out of a total of 5,263 authorised to be employed.

And speaking earlier, University Teaching Hospital, UTH, Executive Director Peter Mwaba commended the government for releasing K200 million to enable UTH acquire a piece of land in Lusaka’s Libala area to build extra infrastructure and students hostels.

34 COMMENTS

  1. Lets just give credit where it’s due #2 what personal holder are you talking about?I really can’t understand why some people always see the bad side of something good.Even if they become personal to holder they will save a life rather than none.Congratulations this is the way to go…

  2. This is rather encouraging. I hoped if this type of initiatives started during chiluba’s time, zambia could have been at a different level today. Chiluba’s era was really just 10 years wasted. Wasted years in the dust bin.
    That is why friends back home please in 2011 put in a working government and discipline president, one who is going to be better than LPM. Good leadership is key to economic development. Thieves, liars, comedians and the illiterates as leaders will be a disaster to our country even if we have a lot of resources.

  3. Thats some good news. But more can be done, and GRZ should pay similar attention to the other vital social sector, EDUCATION.

  4. #2. Spot on. Unless one doesn`t know what goes on pa Zed. Ambulance yakulatwala ba Director ku seminar. Been there, seen it!

  5. we better not see those pipo using ambulances to harvest maize or go posin. buying them is one thing, makin proper use of them is another, I really hop they meet their purpose

  6. Great show. I am pleased to read this. The question on my mind is what system has been put in place for : 1. Service of faults when they develop? 2. The training of drivers and health assistants. 3. What is the design and make of these vehicles? It helps to know what brand has been put in place because some vehicles are vehicles in name but will not perform in areas where roads are poor.

    When shall we see serious attention on education, agriculture and housing – much more on town and country planning so that places of human activites are properly planned for and not as elements want to settle!

  7. #10, It is of course second hand motor vehicles from autorec. Same source as those recently acquired for ba buju.

  8. Bashukulu ba Sata #13, mwi ilishanya sana. Ba LPM is so unpredictable. Following your reconciliation, he may even adopt you to replace him.

  9. Whatever one may say, we should salute LPM for the good job done so far.Its up to the rest of us Zambians to support him.We will let him down if we use those vehicles for other means rather than what they have been purchased for.
    As for Sata better late than never. Sanity has come even late it deserves a cheer.Zambia is for us all.We would like you to oppose the gvt on policy issues,offer alternatives rather than personal attacks.We likt to have a gvt but we love the opposition too to do what we want them to-DEVELOP ZAMBIA

  10. #3, I think #2 has a point. At one time when I visited Mansa, I was very annoyed to witness an incident where an ambulance was used as a taxi, delivering a medical staffer’s shopping such as con meal flour, vegetable, etc. I still have the details and date it (kept somewhere) happened if you need to know.

  11. #3, however, having highlighted on that. Its job well done on the part of the GRZ. But, again the whole thing is not clear. Is it 164 ambulances for each province or What? Because that number is only suitable for one town as a starter.

  12. The vehicles if managed well should go a long way in further reducing the still unacceptable maternal, under 5 and infant mortality rates. The huge health related human resource shortage is worrying though. Does anyone know how many health workers there are in the diaspora? Recently the world’s leading health and hospt.professional associations joined forces to produce the first ever joint guidelines on incentives for retention and recruitment of health professionals.They are available at .It could be that some Zambians were part of the effort. Given failed past efforts to bring these health workers back will Dr Chituwo be the one to do so?

  13. Ooops….I dont know what happened, I meant to share the web site where the health worker incentives guidelines can be found
    Its if any one is interested.

  14. Ha ha …okay I get it ! The system (or may be it just my computer ) wont allow me to share the a web site. Sorry about that…Any way I am sure Dr Chituwo having just come back from the World Health Assembly is aware of the incentive guidelines. Lets see…..

  15. Zambia: More than 100 Zambian families stuck in South Africa

    Zambia has set up a crisis committee to plan the evacuat ion of 106 Zambian families trapped in the xenophobic violence in South Africa.South African police notified the Zambia High Commission to South Africa, Lesley Mbula, that Zambian families were stranded in seven camps set up for victims of xenophobic attacks.”We are worried about this unfortunate situation,” the situation is urgent and the Zambian government is on full alert.

  16. “It is shocking to understand why Africans should exhibit that kind of hatred an d brutality. Even illegal immigrants from Africa are better treated in European countries like Spain,”The Zambian government has requested the High Commissioner to investigate if any Zambian has been killed or injured in the attacks.Meanwhile, 10 Zimbabwean families had requested political asylum in Zam bia after entering the country through Luangwa district east of Lusaka.The case of the Zimbabweans would be dealt with by Zambian imm igration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

  17. Handing over ambulances like this can be a waste of money. Until I see them being used responsibly, I will be skeptical. Running an ambulance service is a specialised undertaking. It requires a control and command centre, security measures and its own budget. With no command centre, operating an efficient ambulance service in a city like Lusaka is virtually impossible. Without security measures, ambulance crews will be exposed to danger. The cost of petrol means that a budget is necessary. Otherwise people will just be told that ‘there is no petrol, so we cannot come’. There is a need for a national Civil Defence Service, incorporating Fire, Ambulance and Rescue units.

  18. I don’t mean to discredit this good decision but what’s the use of an ambulance when, once it rushes you to the hospital, the medical facilities are lacking and the staff is as helpless as your relatives at home?

  19. Bane, let’s look at things positively. The last ten years under Kafupi were wasted but Levy at least a working president. On misuse of ambulances, the problem is that we Zambians are very docile. Those ambulances belong to us and not the hospital adminstrators etc. We should report them to relevant authorities if they misuse the ambulances or make citizen arrests.

  20. Timbalife ala naya mukutimba life ine. Ifya pa Zed kuti wanakafye. Who do you report to? Ba Director was appointed by the president, baciti ababasalile ni niba president. I wolud love to see things change but even learned people behave like finabwela mochedwa. For starters they are not even supposed to be misusing the ambulances. Kaya!

  21. This MMD government is simply doing a good job,congrats Dr Mwanawasa.It is unfortunate that Levy’s term is finishing too soon.Look at Lusaka town it is now clean,we need such leadership ,congrats Masebo,Levy ,IG Mateyo and Levy.
    Let us all help our President and develop as a country !!!

  22. Welldone, a drop in the ocean, but as Mother Teresa said ‘an ocean would not be one without that drop’, its better than nothing. My hearty hope is that they will be for the intended use, having been there.

  23. Mwajata nchito mpati nobasifulumende. However, the following is worrying:

    ‘In accordance with this authority, the ministry last year recruited 1,300 new health workers out of a total of 5,263 authorised to be employed.’

    Why not employ all of them, since there is this shortfall in:
    ‘Dr Chituwo said the nation requires a total of 51,414 health workers to be able to provide optimal health services to the citizenry but presently there are only 26,523 workers’?

  24. On a perpendicular note:

    Please, GRZ, look at infrastructure upgrading at the Lusaka, Livingstone and probably Ndola International Airports. The last time a plane left me at Lsk Intelntnl. Airport, I could not find an internet cafe to help redo my then-future appointments in the country I was aheading. There is also need to provide an environment where car-hire companies can operate from so that plane passengers can simply hire a car for use intsead of booking taxis/cabs always or waiting upon some relative to come and fetch one.

    Sorry for diverting the topic briefly! Have some great blogging bloggers.

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