President Rupiah Banda has disclosed that government has acquired eye health equipment worth K2 billion for the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) eye treatment centre which is currently under construction.
President Banda said the acquisition of the equipment was in line with the active infrastructure development programme for the Ministry of Health.
The President was speaking in Kitwe today at Sinozam friendship hospital when he launched the eye care clinic on the Copperbelt province.
He said government cares for the health of everyone one hence it was working hard to improve the wellbeing of citizens through better health services.
He said soon, government will also embark on construction of an optical training center at Chainama Hills hospital in Lusaka that will provide the necessary equipment for eye treatment.
He said 25 eye specialists have already graduated and are working in various districts while 50 more will be trained to work as cataract surgeons.
He said government has developed a new partnership with Standard Chartered Bank to work along the line of rail where 100 people with cataract problems will be operated on.
The President implored the Ministry of Health and cooperating partners to fully integrate the eye health matters.
He said eye health issues have now become imperative and therefore, the Ministry of Health should in its plan and budget include eye health services.
Mr. Banda thanked the Chinese government for their involvement in the initiatives that are contributing to resolving eye problems in Zambia.
And Vice Chairman of the national committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Abulaiti Abudurexiti said the eye care event dubbed “Chinese brightness mission 2011 in Zambia” was the first project of the Chinese enterprises charity fund to Africa.
Mr. Abudurexiti, who is also President of the Chinese African People’s Friendship Association, said the project carries the profound affection to Zambian people from the Chinese government.
He said in the last three days, Ophthalmology doctors and nurses from Beijing’s Tongren Hospital have conducted 100 successful cataract surgeries in Zambia.
ZANIS
RB has just given pipo houses on the Copperbelt, chwechwe, the campaign is on!!!!
Good job. Cataract problems can easily be reversed with availability of right equipment, trained staff and goodwill of the people. Great job. My concerns however, is that development in Zambia is lopsided and we see only Lusaka receiving everything at the expense of “Shan’gombo.” Please balance these feats!
K2bn for eye health a for UTH. That is just one percent of K200bn that was stollen from us in the name of NCC. Is UTH the only hospital in Zambia? Shame.
K2bn for eye health for UTH. That is just one percent of K200bn that was stollen from us in the name of NCC. Is UTH the only hospital in Zambia? Shame.
This is as it should be, hospitals are supposed to have all the necessary equipment and health workers all the time. So this does not constitute news! Its like announcing to the general public when you buy a pair of shoes for your child.
#3 Understand that this piece of equipment was not there. So, your analogy is off.
So we should announce anything we get as long as we did not have it. What is supposed to be in a hospital? Windows and doors? Come on get real, it is medical equipment and personnel. # 3, your observation makes a lot of sense. In desperation MMD will soon they will be announcing that they have now bought chalk for schools, they have bought syringes for hospitals, they have a new pants for the police. Where does that end? When does something constitute news worthy? MMD Cadres, excite yourselves come on, tse tse tse tse tse tse tse.
New equipment? I could have loved to hear an outline of the equipment, because I know the equipment UTH has had in the Eye Unit. It has had all the Basic Equipment which they have been managing to do Cataract Surgeries. I’d love to hear they have brought in Pachmeters, ERG, B-Scan, LASER Equipment, Optical Coherent Tomography, Keratoplasty Equipment. I hope they are not talking about the equipment installed by Vision Aid Overseas. What is needed in the eye care is to train more staff. Government need to be seen to support the initiative by Chainama College to train primary Eye care providers (Clinical Ophthalmologist and Optometry Technologists) by making sure these cadres are incorporated in the structure and well paid, or they wil be crossing borders
RB you’re the one some people failed to buy even a single chair for doctors to do a good job while they were ministers of health. you don’t even rush to have a Dr. title in front of your name like others did and some wish to do when voted, continue doing a good job,you are really building Zambia for a better tomorrow. some people claim they constructed houses in chilenje, unfortunately, same houses look as though they where constructed before Christ. avoid voting for people who will make you feel good today and tomorrow your children start suffering, today UTH is congested not because of RB but because some one didn’t think for the future when he was healthy minister. bravo RB