Health Minister Kapembwa Simbao has disclosed that the presentation of Christmas gifts to babies will be extended to all the major hospitals across the country.
And Dr. Simbao has said Government will train 7,000 Community Health Workers (CHW) to vulnerable communities especially in rural areas in order to reduce the high mortality rate of women during deliveries.
ZANIS reports that Dr. Simbao was speaking to Journalists at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) soon after giving gifts to 25 Christmas babies that were born at UTH.
Dr. Simbao said Government was determined to reverse the trend of women dying from complications arising from delivery.
Among the gifts the Minister donated mothers delivered of Christmas babies included a push chairs, clothes and baby bath-basins. Government has made it a deliberate policy to donate assorted items to mothers who have given birth to Christmas babies annually.
Dr. Simbao said that Zambia was eager to address the high mortality rates among women during child birth.
He said the development was a threat to the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on health goals number four and five.
The Health Minister was accompanied at UTH by Ministry of Health Spokesperson Dr Kamoto Mbewe and other senior ministry officials.
The Minister however, commended the media for highlighting more stories on reproductive health to keep the nation abreast.
And the Minister revealed that Traditional Birth Attendants have been transformed into Community Health Workers to assist local communities in emergency cases where medical personnel were not available.
Sylvia Nyirenda 34, a mother who gave birth to a baby girl thanked Government for the gesture saying Government had demonstrated its commitment to the welfare of women in the country.
And UTH Managing Director Lackson Kasoko said the visit by the Minister had motivated the workers at his institution.
Dr. Kasoko also commended Government for the funds UTH was receiving.
UTH, the largest health institution in the country records an average of 50 new born babies on a daily basis. A total of 25 Christmas babies have been recorded at the institution this year with the first infant born at 00 -15 am while the last one was delivered at 08-15 am.
ZANIS
The best gift to Zambians will be improved health facilities across the country and to stop the wastage of resources by sending politicians abroad for simple procedures tha could be done locally. 46years after independence, we are supposed to nearly self sufficient in the provision of health care services. Look at how Cuba has managed even under massive distabilisation campaign from the USA
We have the resources & our population is small, but our leaders are so selfish & do not care about the people
Zambians wake up and reclaim what belongs to you
How about those babaies that were born after 08 15 hrs, are they not counted as chritmas babies too. The chritsmas day has 24 hours so it is important to give a present to all the babies born within that period. He has raised another point of TBA being transformed into CHW and not abolished as what Kamoto said two days ago. What the Minister has said is more sensible and is the right way of improving lives of our people in rural areas.
this minister is just being wasteful. whose money are you using buying gift for all hospitals in the country? and he thinks this is a good idea. spend time coming up with ideas that improve access to health care. if you want to give gift buy with your own money not our money