Dr Chilufya says the introduction of the National Health Insurance will ensure that all Zambians have access to affordable health care.
He said it is important that Zambia achieves Universal Health Coverage at every stage, with particular emphasis on primary health services.
The Minister said this yesterday when he officiated at the Stakeholders Consultative Forum on the National Health Insurance Bill in Lusaka.
Dr Chilufya said it is essential to note that the Household Health Survey revealed that about 96 percent of the respondents were of the view that the introduction of a Social Health Insurance would be beneficial to the general population.
And Unions representing public and private workers are happy that the process of consultation on the National Health Insurance bill is ongoing and bearing fruit.
Speaking on behalf of the unions who held a consultative discussion with government and other stakeholders on Wednesday, Secondary School Teacher Union of Zambia -SESTUZ- Secretary General Wamuyawa Sitebikiso said he is happy that the concerns of the union have been taken on board by government.
Mr Sitebikiso said the National Health Insurance bill will provide decent and affordable health care for their members who have been yearning to have access to quality health care.
He has told ZNBC News that the unions position on the matter has Not changed and they still stand by the resolutions they made when they met in Livingstone early this year.
And Mr Sitebikiso has taken a swipe at some people and unions who are boycotting consultations over the national health insurance bill.
This National health Insurance is long overdue and the Government is wasting time even conducting more consultations! Those of us who live in certain countries know the benefits of such medical schemes….it’s such a simple concept. Just implement..
@Linkman, your “certain countries”, don’t include countries with free healthy care system
The National Health Insurance Bill is ill conceived. Just one example, most is not all private sector employees already pay health insurance premiums, this in itself is a big relief for government as these people do not use government facilities..it will be a unfair to over burden these employees. This is just one example…there are several. As proposed by Dr.Cholera Chilufya, this may be the biggest scandal of the year
The health insurance scheme is the way to go. There is no free lunch in the park. The only worry is the amount of stealing of public funds and misappropriation reported year in year out. Minister, what are you doing to avoid this scheme paying for exaggerated fee’s like the case with ambulances.
Look at the two fools above, the majority of citizens are poor and cannot afford such schemes. PF has failed to run the country despite taxing the people to death, you took out subsidies, increasing everything and no you want to overburden poor citizens with this foolish health scheme. liars Linkman sad even in developed nations many are uninsured you can’t import schemes from else where and expect them to work, most of the stuff in these hospitals is donated with very little improvement so people will be paying for broken down equipment and pain killers.
This National Health Insurance scheme is the work of the World Bank. The government is being forced to lower its expenditures in light of the high debt. Why cant the minister be forthcoming.
According to the PF Hon. Minister, anything done by the incompetent Hon. PF MP’s, Speaker and Ministers should not be “politicized”!?!
Just one question Hon. Minister, why we need all of you if nothing can be discussed, or non one can have different opinion?
Are you, politician representing your Constituency, ready to rule by “Decree”? If so, RESIGN.
Any “Bill” MUST and SHALL be politicized before it becomes an Act of Parliament?
Hon. Minister, do you understand the meaning of “politicizing”?
Please spend some of our (Tax-Payers) money and enlighten yourself about when and where you can use “politicizing” without sounding clownish and grade 12 failure like your “learned” Hon. Minister of Justice
NO CHOLERA CASES FROM LAKE TANGANYIKA, LUAPULA, or ZAMBEZI and KARIBA, but the poor fishermen there are still prevented from earning a living there.
Is the Minister going to compensate them for their loss of earnings? Is he going to send them nutritious food to replace their daily source of nutrition? Is he going to treat all the cases of malnutrition and loss of school days in the children?
So, because of some cases of cholera from Kafue, this Minister thinks we should shut down the whole of Zambias fish production?
There were some cholera cases on the Copperbelt. Why has he not shut down all the MINES? And there were some farmers with cholera. Why has he not banned farming in Zambia?
THIS IS NONSENSE!
So our women will have to pass on the tax to their customers after they have been forced into prostitution by the taxes of the pro poor regime.minister how do pipo with no incomepay and afford. Expznd your brilliant idea.
Yesterdaty our president said thst there are only 9000 pipo getting arvs in zambia. U are responsible for health and report to the president so why only 9000 pipo on arvs. So the rest our your citizens are left to die.
This speech was delivered by VEEP on behalf of president. Its on public record and has not been repudiated by the president’s spokesperson. I am Gender correct ,even though pf regime is celebrating womens day.
Tell us the whole plan:
– mode of collection from all citizens (poor and rich, in formal and informal employment, even those just sitting at home)
– what are your estimates in collection? How much in total do you hope to get monthly? (I expect you to have worked this out)
– How are exactly are you going to spend these monies?
Its unfortunate that as often is the case most Zambians are just commenting without understanding fully the issue at hand. No one argues that Health Insurance is a good way to fund health. The point is that pros and cons need be considered extensively. For instance, making the insurance a payroll based tax as is the case will make labour more expensive and employers will naturally start laying off workers to lower operation costs. For those who won’t be laid off, salary negotiation will be that little bit more difficult as parameters for consideration have now increased. At the same time, Zambia has a very small formal sector on which this tax incidence will fall. Less than a million people or so will be subsidising health for over 16 million, my simple logic says this is unsustainable…
KUSHELEFYE WALKING ON FOOT TAXE, KAILI PARKING FEE TULALIPILA, ROAD TAXE TULALIPILA, FITNESS TULALIPILA, YET TO COME WALKING ON FOOT TAXE, PF BAKALI TAKULI ATI PRO POOR AWE, LOL KKKKKKK
TV TAXE, PARKING IN TOWN CENTRE, TALK TIME, FOOD BUYING, ROAD TAXI, TOLL GATES, SCH FEES, RENTAL TAXE, PAYE, NAPSA AND SO ON FROM JUST ONE POCKET, HOW CAN ONE SURVIVE?