By CHUSA SICHONE in Mpika-
HEALTH Deputy Minister Chitalu Chilufya has said that the Government will this year provide K800,000 for upgrading Chilonga Nursing School at Chilonga Mission Hospital in Muchinga Province.
This is in addition to the K537,000 which the Government allocated to the mission hospital for the refurbishment of the nursing school last year.
Dr Chilufya disclosed this yesterday when he visited Chilonga Mission Hospital in Mpika District, whose level of cleanliness elated him.
“The training institution here at Chilonga is an old one and it has contributed immensely to the human resource working everywhere in this country and we are going to continue supporting the institution,” Dr Chilufya said.
“So this year the Government will release K800,000 towards the construction of hostels, construction office and classroom accommodation,” Dr Chilufya said.
The Government also wants to enhance the quality of learning in line with the National Training Operational Plan to improve human resource numbers.
Chilonga Mission Hospital will further receive one advanced life support ambulance which was recently procured to replace the old one.
Meanwhile, Dr Chilufya urged Health Permanent Secretary Davy Chikamata to look into the human resource challenges at the institution so that the health facility operated in line with its status.
Muchinga Province medical officer Francis Bwalya said there was need to create and fill some positions in order for the institution to be in tandem with its upgrade status.
Dr Chilufya and his entourage later toured the construction site of the modern Mpika District Hospital, which is a first level hospital aimed at decongesting the second level Chilonga Mission Hospital once completed.
Mpika District Hospital is being constructed by Walltech Enterprises at a cost of K10.1 million, and the works under phase one, which started in February 2013, are expected to end in September this year.