By AUSTIN KALUBA –
ACCORDING to a report by McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm that serves leading businesses, governments and NGOs, sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 11 per cent of the world’s population, yet bears 24 per cent of the global disease burden.
The region also faces a severe shortage of trained medical personnel, with just three per cent of the world’s health workers deployed in sub-Saharan Africa.
With these grim findings, it is needless to say healthcare in most of sub-Saharan Africa remains the worst in the world despite decades of foreign assistance.
In spite of the billions of dollars of international aid dispensed, an astonishing 50 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa lacks the infrastructure, facilities, and trained personnel necessary to provide and deliver even minimal levels of health services and goods.
This report demonstrates that the private sector is currently playing, and will continue to play, a vital role in the financing and provision of health-care on the continent.
The report recognises that harnessing the talents of the private sector will require new approaches to collaboration between public and private players, new approaches from donors and other stakeholders, and strategies that are tailored to local realities.
It is heartening, therefore,  to note that Sweden has resumed financial support to Zambia’s health sector with a capital boost of about K331 million (400 million Swedish Kroners) over a period of four years from 2015 to 2019.
The goodwill ends a six-year aid freeze imposed by the Scandinavian country in 2009 after about K431 million (500 million Kroners) was allegedly misappropriated by Ministry of Health officials.
At a recent African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, President Edgar Lungu met with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven to discuss further corporation and possible State visits to enhance ties between the two countries.
The President’s meeting was not in vain since it has rekindled Sweden’s trust in Zambia considering that there is a new Government in power.
The fresh capital injection is aimed at funding projects to increase access to reproductive, maternal, neo-natal, child and adolescent health.
The Swedish government is currently reviewing various assessments to ensure that the aid works well for both Zambia and the Nordic State as a key partner.
The only concern is that what guarantee is there that this money won’t be misapplied?
To ensure that there is transparency in the disbursement of funds, there is need for the Government and other relevant bodies to police the use of this money to ensure that it serves its intended purpose.
If used properly the whooping amount would go a long way in alleviating most problems affecting the health sector in the country.
As a country we should value what we have in our hands. The Swedish have a proverb Bättre en fågel i handen än tio i skogen-which means ‘Better a bird in hand than 10 in the forest’.