The Zambia Dental Association (ZDA) has welcomed the government’s recent announcement to recruit health workers across the country.
In a statement made available to the media today by ZDA President, Gabriel Mpundu, ZDA is happy with the announcement, saying the recruitment of health workers is a critical step towards addressing the human resource shortages in both urban and rural health facilities.
Dr Mpundu reaffirmed ZDAS full support towards the government’s commitment to Human Resources for Health (HRH).
“We stand ready to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to ensure that recruited health workers, including dental professionals are equitably deployed and adequately supported to deliver quality services,” he said.
Dr Mpundu also urged the government to ensure timely deployment, provision of necessary equipment and continuous professional development to retain and motivate the new workforce.
“The Zambia Dental Association remains committed to working with the government to achieve Universal Health Coverage and to ensure that no Zambian is left behind in accessing quality oral and general health care,” he added.
He however said while ZDA applauds this positive step, the Association hopes that the recruitment exercise will involve larger numbers than previous intakes and that it will specifically include dental personnel.
“The oral health needs of our population remain high and increasing the dental workforce is essential to reduce the burden of oral disease and ensure equitable access to dental care,” said Dr Mpundu.
