Government has disclosed that Zambia is among 13 top African countries that are on course to achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) on health.
Speaking when he addressed the Health Sector Advisory Group in Lusaka today, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Peter Mwaba said the country has already achieved the MDG on tuberculosis.
Dr. Mwaba noted that with increased cooperation from various stakeholders, Zambia will be able to achieve the other MDGs on health.
He said government has remained committed to increasing funding to the health sector.
In the current budget, government had increased funding to the sector by 46 per cent.
Dr. Mwaba said this increase improved the availability of essential medicines, medical supplies and equipment, infrastructure development and human resource in the sector.
He added that the ministry has also increased the availability of anti retroviral drugs (ARVs) and anti malarial combined therapy at all levels of service delivery noting that these are the two major diseases the country is battling with.
Dr. Mwaba explained that the ministry is making sure that all the people in the country have access to essential drugs through the establishment of regional distribution hubs.
He however said there are still a number of challenges the ministry is facing.
These challenges include inadequate resources for medical supplies and laboratory reagents to support comprehensive patient care.
Dr. Mwaba also said with support from cooperating partners, government has advanced efforts to develop a social health insurance scheme aimed at facilitating universal health coverage.
And World Health Organisation (WHO) representative, Olusegun Babaniyi, expressed happiness that the budgetary allocations to the health sector have significantly increased.
Dr. Babaniyi pledged more cooperating partners’ support to the Ministry of Health in addressing the challenges the ministry is facing.
He congratulated the Ministry of Health for being on course towards achieving the MDGs on health.
ZANIS
PF policies?
Well done Zambia. We are behind the Government of the day for even better performance.
Great news. Well done PF. Concentrate on delivering while ignoring those born with bitterness, frustration and hatred. Let them  rot in their insipid grudge.
This is work started by MMD. You dont achieve such milestones in one year. Both MMD and PF must be congratulated fairly.
Please PF spare us your moronic praises. The near achievement of MDG in the field of health has nothing to do with your tribal Party. This is investment that has been made since 2000 by the MMD. Your tribal sycophancy is nauseating!
This must be the best joke of the year….
Patients are taken to South Africa and hospitals do not even have basic needs medicine and sleeping beds don’t even talk about food
And MDG goes will be achieved… Â what a joke
#5, I CAN’T UNDERSTAND YOU.ON THE OTHER HAND YOU ARE THE PEOPLE SAYING THE GOVT HAS FAILED ON IT’S 90 DAYS PROMISE AND WITH THE SAME MOUTH YOU ARE SAYING NOTHING CAN BE ACHIEVED WITHIN A YEAR. DO YOU EVER REMEMBER WHAT YOU PREVIOUSLY SAY?
hey please lets be serious, there is one hospital on the copperbelt operating with only one doctor. patients are not properly treated due to lack of resources. Hospitals in many parts of zambia the list of problems is endless, what is the so called perm sec talking about? people like him need to look further than they are doing. its all crap!
Im in traing 2 join the health sector and 2 help many zambians sufferng out there,proud 2 b zambian.GOD Bles motha Zeee.