Government has constructed an ultra-modern hospital in Nsumbu area in Nsama district in Northern Province.
The hospital has been constructed at a cost of K23 million using funds from Lake Tanganyika Development Project under the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment.
Ministry of Green Economy and Environment Permanent Secretary, Douty Chibamba, who in the company of Northern Province Permanent Secretary Bernard Mpundu, toured the hospital, is elated that the infrastructure, which comes with state-of-the-art equipment, is almost complete.
Dr Chibamba told ZANIS in an interview that the hospital is being developed under the Lake Tanganyika Development Project whose main mandate is to conserve the environment around the Lake Tanganyika basin.
“The main objective of the Lake Tanganyika project is to conserve the environment and natural resources around the Lake Tanganyika basin, but within the project, we provided the social economic component to look at the health status of the very communities we want to conserve the environment for, hence the coming up of projects such the construction of the hospital here,” he explained.
He expressed happiness that the development project is nearing completion and is expected to be launched soon.
Meanwhile, Northern Province Permanent Secretary, Bernard Mpundu, has described Nsumbu hospital as a major milestone in health care provision in not only the district but also the surrounding districts like Kaputa, Mporokoso, lake shores of Lake Tanganyika, including those from neighboring Congo Republic of Congo.
Mr Mpundu said the transition from a 14 bed health centre at Nsumbu rural health centre to the 300 bed hospital will greatly impact the lives of people in the area.
“We are excited to have this infrastructure here. It has come with all necessary medical equipment including X-ray machines, scanners, neonatal care machines, furniture and other specialised medical tools,” Mr Mpundu explained.
And Nsama District Health Director, Venacio Banda, explained that the facility is a boost and motivation to members of staff.
Dr Banda thanked the government for putting up a state-of-the-art infrastructure in a rural district that will ensure people in the area receive good quality health care services.
He disclosed that the district recently lost two pregnant mothers in a space of two weeks in the process of referral, the thing he said will come to an end once the hospital is officially commissioned.
And Josephine Mwila, a resident of Nsumbu, thanked the government for constructing a state of the art hospital in Nsumbu area saying the community used to access health services from distant neighbouring districts.
