MINISTER of Health Joseph Kasonde has warned public health workers in the country against charging patients, especially expectant mothers, for them to use health facilities to deliver.
Dr Kasonde said there is no such policy in the health sector that requires expectant mothers to pay for them to use public health institutions to deliver.
He was responding to a question from the media on whether he was aware that some health institutions in the country are charging maternity patients.
Meanwhile, Dr Kasonde, who was briefing the media, said Government has set aside K271 million towards net recruitment of health staff in 2016.
He said Zambia has achieved Millennium Development Goal number four on reducing mortality by 2015 and that the ministry will present the Mental Health Bill in the next sitting of Parliament.
And Dr Kasonde has refuted media reports that donors have withdrawn support from Zambia amounting to €30 million for drugs.
Dr Kasonde said donors have not withdrawn their support to government, saying the European Union (EU) has been supporting the ministry for many years and that currently there is a financing agreement worth €18 million with the bloc.
“EU support is in the construction of a state-of-the-art laboratory at a cost of €7.5 million, study on the rational usage of drugs and €4.8 million for the extension of storage at Medical Stores Limited,” he said.
Dr Kasonde said this at the end of the year press briefing at his office in Lusaka yesterday.
Minister, such reports should be investigated thoroughly before issuing statements. There is no smoke without fire. In the education sector pupils were still being sent away for failing to pay PTA funds which teachers and PTA members had instituted when GRZ banned payment of user fees a few years ago to help pupils from poor families remain in school. That is Zambia for you Hon Kaonde. Your officials are too comfortable to remember that poverty levels in Zambia are still high.
Obama care introduced insurance for all including the poor. Can we do it? Yes we cant