•MUFULIRA District Commissioner Chanda Mfula acts as a mock patient and is pushed on the stretcher into an ambulance by Ndola District Commissioner Rebby Chanda, Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge and Health Deputy Minister Chitalu Chilufya (right). This was when Dr Chilufya handed over ambulances to Copperbelt district-based health institutions yesterday. Picture By JAMES KUNDA

By JAMES KUNDA –
THE Government has said it will strengthen the delivery of primary healthcare services by prioritising the availability of transport facilities in all health institutions across the country.
Health Deputy Minister Chitalu Chilufya said Government would ensure the availability of a well-coordinated transport system in hospitals and clinics to promote effective health service delivery in Zambia.
Dr  Chilufya was speaking in Ndola yesterday when he handed over 19 ambulances and 1,000 blankets allocated by Government to health institutions on the Copperbelt Province.
He said it was the desire of Government to strengthen primary healthcare delivery through ensuring equitable access to cost-effective health services for all.
“These ambulances are part of the 160 such vehicles procured for all district hospitals in the country at a cost of K402,710 million.
“The blankets are part of the 12,000 consignment procured at a cost of K1.197 million for various health facilities in the country,” Dr Chilufya said.
He said the purchase of the ambulances was meant to strengthen the referral system and collapse distances between all levels of health facilities.
Dr Chilufya said the ambulances are equipped with facilities that would make caring for a patient in transit equivalent to what obtains at the hospital.
“These ambulances are equipped to enable paramedics to commence pre-hospital care in transit to the health facility,” he said.
And Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge directed heads of health institutions in the province to ensure that the ambulances and blankets were put to the intended use.