By Staff Reporter
The government has increase its funding to the health sector by 45 percent from this year’s K 1,772.9 billion to K2579.9 billion in 2012.
The government has also abolished primary health services fees, meaning Zambians could now access free health services in clinics.
Speaking during the announcement of the K25 trillion 2012 budget, Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda said the government will run the health sector in line with the Abuja Declaration to which Zambia is a signatory.
The Aduja Declaration demands that signatories commit 15 percent of their national budgets to the health sector.
The ministry is the largest recipient of donor funding but has in the past two years been hard hit by withdrawal of grants following poor accountability issues.
In the Abuja Declaration adopted at the 24-27 April 2001 summit, African leaders declared that AIDS was a state of emergency in the continent and pledged to place the fight against the pandemic at the forefront and as the highest priority issue in their respective national development plans.
They also committed to take personal responsibility and provide leadership for the activities of the National AIDS Commissions or Councils.
In his address, Mr Chikwanda announced also announced that the government has allocated K301.7 billion to the purchase of drugs and medical equipment.
LT you are realising half baked information.
“releasing” not “realising”
Thumbs up! Our children need a good health care system
Free things are not sustainable….
Abolishing fees is that sustainable mwefipuba mwe?the people you call poor actually make more money the than most junior civil servants,you tax your supporters as well so that they pay for GRZ services as well.More comments later.
Lovey….health yena batoba iya best.
More research and preventive measures for health enhancement
More recruitment of personnel is needed aswel!!
Kapoko on the loose…
Can someone help is it K25 or 27 trillion 2012 budget
This will do for you.
Mr. Speaker, the Government proposes to spend K27,698.3 billion or 26.5 percent of GDP projected at K104,462 billion in 2012. Of this amount, K19,976.0 billion or 72.1 percent will be financed from domestic revenues.K1,894.4 billion or 6.8 percent will be financed by grants from Co-operating Partners. The balance of K5,827.9 billion or 21.1 percent of total expenditure will be financed through domestic borrowing of K1,324.3 billion or 1.3 percent of GDP and gross external financing of K4,503.6 billion or 4.3 percent of GDP.
“The ministry is the largest recipient of donor funding but has in the past two years been hard hit by withdrawal of grants following poor accountability issues.”
Can we please become accountable so that donor funding can resume. Iam sure those donors are still willing to provide the funds. This can also ensure that our own locally generated resources are used in an accountable way. Those who stole donated funds could still be stealing, only that it is our own money they are stealing now.
Good news. Hope there will be medicines and equipment in the clinics as well because it would be worthless to have free access to a clinic that cant help.
Those nurses in the picture look so well groomed, nice!
Providing absolutely free health services is old style Kaunda-economics which never succeeded. He could have increased funding without removing the user-fee. It is not sustainable and you don’t need to be an economist to know that. The population of the world is increasing really fast, it means medicines will continuously rise in prices. We still need to have some cost-sharing in place for people who can afford to pay. Where I give credit is the fact that most of it is financed through introduction of higher tax on mines. But even then we needed most of this tax revenue to go to promotion of small-scale indigenous enterprises because these are the businesses that will take over the economy when copper runs out in just about 20 years time. Now, we are subsidising consumption. Daft idea.
the budget is 27.7 trillion, not 25 trillion ba LT
Please could you tell me how to post a picture as i canont find where to lol Reply:November 30th, 2010 at 3:59 pmYes, go to the bottom of the thumbnails and click the small blue button. You will need to have your image on a blog page, or Flickr page and then link the URL of your image’s page.
fellow blogers,how much was this year’s budget?
#3 you must be a foolish blogger to think primary healthcare is not sustainable. The problem with these blogs is there are too many ignorant “educated pipo”. primary health is not all health services you *****! Little knowledge is very dangerous., stupid#3
A healthy nation is a productive nation
so in sterling the budget is cira 3.73 billion pounds – those of you in the know, please tell me is this adequate to deliver the promised developments? Secondly, is this figure excluding the road contracts?
Ba staff reporter nechisungu tabaishiba,an error in the first sentence? LT? Anyways that good from PF,we need healthy society as we know that there is a close relationship between health and poverty.
THEY SHOULD CAGE THE THIEVES IN MOH ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENTS! VERY GOOD WE NEED DIAGNOSTIC AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.
Execellent news! The Boat is sailing! Captain-MCS.
The so called user fees of K1 500 per month are not significant savings now that been done away with. Some of these people pay witch doctors more for unproven remedies. Offering freebies is just cheap politicking if funding to the health sector is just increased on paper.
Wat about mobile clinics pali zee
The structure of health sector is very inneficient and poorly planned, increasing funding alone is not enough.
Some people condemning the abolition of primary health care fees don’t know about life in Zambia because they are busy speculating from the comforts of overseas life.
Where does one who doesn’t work get the money for the fees? Overseas you can get a part-time job (if not several), and make enough money for your bills. Not in Zambia. Go home to Zambia and see how the people who live in Zambia compound, Ng’ombe compound, Mbayi settlement area getting by each day. They get through only by the grace of God.
Don’t think everyone lives in Kabwata, Kabulonga, Parklands or Riverside.
Well done GRZ!