CHITALU

By ISAAC MUKANDO-
GOVERNMENT says the newly procured equipment at Kitwe Central Hospital (KCH) under the modernisation programme should help improve health services at the institution as well as reduce on referral cases from the hospital.
Health Deputy Minister Chilufya Chitalu said the equipment showed Government’s commitment and vision in providing quality health services in the country.
Dr Chitalu was speaking in Kitwe over the weekend when he toured KCH.
Among the equipment procured by the Ministry of Health under the modernisation programme were those installed in the laundry, catering and laboratory departments.
He said as a third level hospital, Government was committed to ensuring that KCH was provided with necessary equipment that enable them to provide good health services.
“The health modernisation programme is aimed at reducing referral cases in the country and to ensure that hospital were provided with all equipment needed in providing quality health services,” Dr Chitalu said.
Dr Chitalu who is also Mansa central Member of Parliament (MP) said strides were made to ensure that patients from KCH were not referred to Lusaka for treatment as the lab and other departments have been equipped.
He said the equipping of hospitals countrywide would reduce referral cases which would in turn reduce on the costs of running hospitals in the country.
Dr Chitalu further said that Government would procure a CT scan for KCH to enable them to investigate illnesses of a patients promptly.
“Government will procure a CT scan for KCH so that patients are not referred to other hospitals.
“We want to ensure that hospital staff are able to investigate the problem of a patients,” he said.
He said Government would also beef up the human resource at the hospital to ensure quality health services were provided to members of the public.
And KCH spokesperson Gray Chishimba said with the new equipment, health care and performance at the hospital would improve.