Zambia has reaffirmed commitment to regional health cooperation and sustainable healthcare financing as it prepares to host the Regional Advisory Committee Meeting for the Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience (HEPRR) Project under the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC).
Minister of Health Elijah Muchima reaffirmed Zambia’s long-standing partnership with the ECSA Health Community, describing it as a relationship deeply rooted in regional solidarity and shared health goals.
“Zambia has been an active member of ECSA since its inception and continues to benefit from its technical support in areas of health workforce development, system strengthening and emergency preparedness.
Through initiatives such as the Global Fund, World Bank-supported HEPRR Project, and the STAT-BHSS programme, our health system has been strengthened to respond to both communicable and non-communicable diseases.’’ The Minister added.
The media reports that Mr Muchima noted Zambia’s progress in health outcomes over the past decade, highlighting improvements in the health workforce density, which has increased from 9.8 percent to 15.5 percent per 10,000 population between 2015 and 2025.
He also underscored ongoing training efforts, with over 1,500 professionals trained in surgery and more than 1,000 in anesthesia, nursing and public health.
Mr Muchima further pointed out Zambia’s advances in oncology services, supported by ECSA through the establishment of the National Cancer Centre and the College of Oncology, which are improving survival rates for cancer patients.
The Minister of Health emphasised that Zambia remains committed to addressing both communicable and non-communicable diseases, noting that nearly 30 percent of deaths in the country are now attributed to non-communicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
The Minister further acknowledged ECSA’s role in advancing antimicrobial resistance initiatives and technical support that has helped position the country as a regional learning hub.
The Minister commended the presence of four Zambian nationals serving in key positions within ECSA, including Tina Sangracio, who is the Acting Director of Programmes, as evidence of the strong institutional and human ties between Zambia and ECSA.
Mr Muchima expressed gratitude for ECSA’s continued support and reaffirmed Zambia’s commitment to meeting its obligations and actively participating in regional health programs.
“Zambia is proud to host this important meeting and to continue working with ECSA-HC in advancing regional health security, innovation, and prosperity,” he said.
ECSA-HC Director General, Ntuli Kapologwe commended Zambia for hosting the regional meeting and reaffirmed ECSA’s continued collaboration with member states to strengthen healthcare financing and resilience across the region.
He revealed that the upcoming Lusaka Agenda will be a major item of discussion during the meeting, aimed at promoting sustainable healthcare financing among African nations in response to changing global funding dynamics.
“The world’s financing landscape is shifting and this is the time for Africa to re-strategise and establish sustainable health financing systems.
We will also revisit the Abuja Declaration, where many African countries still fall short of the 15 percent target for health sector funding.” He stated.
He added that discussions will also focus on pandemic preparedness, implementation of the Pandemic Agreement adopted by the World Health Assembly, and the amended International Health Regulations (2005).
Dr Kapologwe also highlighted upcoming ECSA-HC initiatives involving Zambia, including projects under the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi and the African Union’s AUDA-NEPAD, focusing on immunization, local manufacturing of vaccines, gender mainstreaming, social protection and poverty reduction.
“Zambia has been selected as one of the pilot countries for the AUDA-NEPAD South-South Cooperation Project, which aims to improve access to affordable healthcare. Success here will pave the way for scaling up across the entire ECSA region,” he said.
The Lusaka meeting will be followed by a Ministerial Dialogue on Healthcare Financing and System Resilience, scheduled for November 27th to 28th 2025 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where Ministers of Health will validate data and strategies to ensure the continent’s health systems remain resilient and financially sustainable amid global economic shifts.
The meeting, taking place in Lusaka, has attracted senior health officials, regional representatives and development partners, who all have an objective to strengthen Africa’s health systems and emergency preparedness through collaboration and innovation.
