Government will this year employ 3000 health workers in order to address the human resource challenges faced by the Ministry.
Minister of Health, Silvia Masebo says Zambia has continued to experience frequent outbreaks of communicable diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, measles, rabies and trypanosomiasis and shortage of manpower in the health sector remains a challenge in the fight of diseases.
Ms Masebo further said the country is at risk of public health threats from regional and global public health events.
Speaking when she officiated at the opening of the National Planning launch for the 2024 to 2026, Medium Term Budget Planning and the 2024 budget.
She said the government has been investing in public health security in order to ensure security of the nation against outbreaks and public health threats from various diseases and conditions.
The Minister said the country has been focusing on ensuring constant availability of essential medicines and medical supplies to all groups of society especially the poor and vulnerable groups.
She further stated that through an Increased drug budget from K3.4 billion to K4.6 billion to support procurement of medicines and medical supplies; and Procurement of 42,000 Health Centre Kits which are a backbone of primary health care supply chain to last for 12 months.
Ms Masebo said the Ministry has further initiated bulk procurements of medicines and medical supplies through UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP and government to government procurement with the Egyptian Government to support hospital supply needs.
And Churches Health Association of Zambia Executive Director, Karen Sichinga said the 2024 to 2026 Mid Term Budget and 2024 plans are being developed at a time when the country is learning to live in a world with Covid 19.
He said the health sector should be realistic enough to adjust the health system to a World of Covid 19 which is an ongoing threat.Ms Sichinga in a speech read on her behalf by CHAZ Director Advocacy Planning and Development, Yoram Siame said the Civil Society Organizations is pleased to see that the Presidential directive on maternity infrastructure and water reticulation for all health facilities has started taking shape.
That number is too little. I’ve seen doctors doing 36 hour shifts due to unavailability of enough doctors. Now that you are saving money due to debt structuring that number needs to be increased to at least 10000.
These 3000 health workers will just be dishing out prescriptions. There are no medicines in hospitals and hospitals have no equipment to diagnose diseases. These large numbers of employing civil servants is just failure for government to create real jobs. Real jobs are in Industries and mines. Very soon they will have a blotted civil service that they will be failing to pay.
I do not know why Ministers Like Masebo find it good to rush to press even for the small routine their Ministries do. She should just recruit silently. after all she has already some applications. By announcing, she is putting PF cadres in the system on an alert to frustrate the process.
3,000 health workers to employed – Masebo
3,000 health workers to employed – Masebo