. Dr Kasonde

By FRANCINA CHOMBA –

GOVERNMENT will soon embark on the construction of a major modern central laboratory to prevent patients from travelling abroad to seek medical attention.

Health Minister Joseph Kasonde said a number of patients were forced to travel abroad partly because the country did not have a modern central laboratory.

Dr Kasonde said this at the seventh graduation ceremony for the Ndola College of Biomedical Sciences, adding that Government had put in place measures to set up a modern central laboratory.

Having a central laboratory would provide equitable access to quality health care services as close to the family as possible.

Dr Kasonde said that qualified laboratory personnel would be required to offer quality laboratory diagnostic services to the people.

“My ministry is pleased to see more laboratory personnel graduating and joining the health sector to raise the staffing levels and improve health care delivery in Zambia,” he said.

Government’s main objective concerning human resource in the health sector, Dr Kasonde said, was to improve the availability and distribution of qualified health workers to all health facilities in the country.

Acting University of Zambia vice-chancellor Enela Tembo said the major challenge in the health sector was laboratory facilities.

Professor Tembo said that the graduating students should not give up but act firmly and work with professionals to acquire more knowledge that would better their future.

She was hopeful to see a good number of students graduate with degrees and become professionals in the future.

“The world of employment is more challenging than being a student hence students need to be content and hard working as they join the corporate world,” she said.

A total of 59 students graduated representing a pass rate of 97 per cent.