The Civil Service Commission has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to decentralisation.
Civil Service Commission Chairperson, Choolwe Beyani, says the 2025 health workers recruitment, is a clear demonstration that decision making powers have successfully been devolved to provinces and districts.
Dr Beyani said decentralisation has empowered Human Resource Management Committees in provinces (HRMCs), to undertake recruitment at local level, thereby promoting transparency, accountability and public participation.
Dr Beyani said this when he paid a courtesy call on Northern Province Acting Permanent Secretary, Beauty Undi-Phiri ahead of the Commission’s postmortem of the 2025 health workers recruitment exercise.
“The 2025 recruitment exercise is yet another demonstration of what has been achieved through decentralisation and the delegation of some of the Commission’s functions. It is proof that power has moved to the people as envisaged by President Hakainde Hichilema,” Dr Beyani said.
He noted that while the Commission has delegated recruitment functions to the provinces, Human Resource Management Committees and Subcommittee have a responsibility to account for their decisions and explain recruitment processes whenever concerns are raised by members of the public.
Dr Beyani said the Commission’s visit to Northern Province, is intended to assess issues arising from the recent recruitment and deployment of newly appointed health workers and identify challenges that require attention to improve future recruitment exercises.
He said decentralisation is anchored in the Constitution, the Civil Service Commission Act No. 10 of 2016, Eighth National Development Plan and the National Decentralisation Policy, adding that all stakeholders should support its implementation.
Dr Beyani further directed Human Resource Management Committees across the country to submit recruitment reports indicating adherence to the approved recruitment criteria, with clear justification for any deviations.
Meanwhile, Dr Beyani urged the Provincial Administration in Northern Province, to conduct comprehensive induction programmes for newly recruited staff to enable them to quickly adapt to government procedures and effectively perform their duties.
He also encouraged all public service employees, including the newly recruited officers, to uphold the Public Service Code of Ethics and remain committed to delivering quality public services that inspire confidence among citizens.
And speaking earlier, Northern Province Acting Permanent Secretary, Beauty Undi-Phiri disclosed that the province was allocated 239 vacancies in various positions in all the districts.
Ms Undi-Phiri said the recruitment process was conducted transparently after the Civil Service Commission delegated the recruitment function to Human Resource Management Committee (HRMCs)Â at provincial levels.
Ms Undi-Phiri explained that the committee shortlisted and selected successful candidates using the prescribed recruitment criteria.
“The recruitment process was transparent and inclusive, and the province remained available to provide guidance whenever required,” she said.
She however, appealed for additional health workers, particularly at Nsumbu Hospital in Nsama District saying the facility continues to face critical staffing shortages despite its large capacity.
She noted that the hospital has a bed capacity of more than 600 but remains understaffed.
Ms Undi-Phiri added that the recruitment of health workers demonstrates government’s commitment to strengthening the country’s health sector and improving access to quality healthcare services.
She further thanked the Civil Service Commission for including Northern Province in the recruitment exercise and expressed confidence that the newly recruited health workers will help improve service delivery across the province.
