.Chilufya

By CHUSA SICHONE –

EFFECTIVE primary healthcare is particularly important in resource-poor countries like Zambia because the delivery of vaccinations, maternal care and treatment of common diseases like malaria is essential for social and economic growth.
Successful diagnostic triage and delivery of chronic care are essential for the provision of universal healthcare at affordable cost.
This is what the Government under the Patriotic Front Government is trying to achieve as enshrined in the 2013 Health Policy and party manifesto.
According to the two documents, the Government wants to bring primary healthcare services as close to the communities as possible by following the pillars, which include financing, infrastructure development, equipment and human resource.
The concept of primary healthcare could improve access. However, this will require the urgent interplay among theoretical, practical, political, and sociological influences arising from the economic, social and political determinants of ill health.
However, to demonstrate this, the Government has embarked on improving the health sector as earlier alluded to and this can be testified by vigorous development projects dotted countrywide.
Health Deputy Minister Chitalu Chilufya was in Southern and Laupula provinces to commission and inspect some development projects to ensure that they were delivered to the masses.
In Chikankata, Dr Chilufya went to officiate at the Salvation Army Chikankata College of Nursing and Midwifery’s 65th graduation ceremony for more than 90 registered nurses and 20 first intake registered
midwives. The graduation ceremony was preceded by the commissioning of a classroom and library block constructed at the cost of K325,000, which is part of the K1.7 million that the Government allocated to the institution in 2013 for infrastructure development.
Dr Chilufya commended the Chikankata College of Nursing and Midwifery management for prudently using the K1.7 million.
The commissioning elated the college principal tutor Zondwe Ngalande, who said the burden of having three classes catering for three streams of registered nurses and one stream of registered midwives would be lessened.
She said from the same Government allocation, the institution was able to buy computers and furniture.
Salvation Army Territorial Commander Margaret Siamooya blessed the new infrastructure through prayer.
Colonel Siamooya pledged the Salvation Army’s continued partnership with the Government of the day and implored the State to work on the “bad” road to ease the transportation of patients to Chikankata Mission Hospital.
Dr Chilufya said the Government was committed to transforming the country into a nation of healthy and productive people and cited the critical shortage of human resource as one key challenge.
The Government was keen to address the human capital deficit by expanding existing training institutions and creating new ones with the overall goal to increase production of health workers and bridging the gap between demand and production.
“The Government will continue working with the Church to ensure quality delivery of health services to the people through training and health service provision,” he said.
Chieftainess Mwenda, a nurse by profession, advised the graduates to have a Godly attitude as they discharged their duties because they dealt with life.
In Namwala, Dr Chilufya paid a courtesy call on Chief Mukobela at his palace where the traditional leader told the minister that his subjects were abusing mosquito nets which they were using for fishing.
“We are happy that the Government is distributing mosquito nets to protect people against malaria. The serious challenge is the people are using them for fishing in the Kafue River,” Chief Mukobela said.
Dr Chilufya said Chief Mukobela’s concern on mosquito nets was legitimate and immediately requested Namwala District health officers, under the provincial medical officer’s supervision, to sensitise the people against misusing mosquito nets.
“The PF Government is determined to eradicate malaria and one of the interventions is the use of treated mosquito nets for all bed spaces in our households. So it’s extremely unfortunate if people decide to start using these nets for fishing.
Dr Chilufya said that the Government would soon commission the construction of a health post from 650 to be constructed countrywide.
The construction of Namwala District Hospital is complete and would be commissioned soon.
In Mansa, Dr Chilufya inspected health centres, which included Namwandwe Clinic which is under construction.
When operational the health facility would cater for more than 10,000 people in Mnsa and surrounding areas.
Residents have for a long time been walking several kilometres to access health services at Central Clinic and thus once operational in a month’s time, Namwandwe Clinic will lighten their burden.
Dr Chilufya was impressed with the workmanship exhibited by the local contractor engaged, Astrims Communications Limited.
Construction works started in April this year. Namwandwe residents were elated at the development and were grateful to their MP and the Government for the gesture.
Shoti health centre, whose construction by another local company Bwafwano General Contractors, started in April this year, is complete and is expected to be operational next month. Shoti residents, who included assistant headman Alex Shingwe, could not hide their joy as they will no longer have to walk long distances of up to seven kilometres to access health services in Mabumba and Mantumbusa areas.
The residents were full of praise for the Government brining healthcare services closer to them.
However, the residents appealed to Dr Chilufya, who is area member of Parliament (MP), to ensure the road leading to Namwandwe health centre was rehabilitated because it is currently in a deplorable state.
At Kale health post, there were some hitches like staff accommodation, which had delayed full operations of the center but the ministry is addressing the matter.
Meanwhile, shoddy works at Mibenge Primary School irked the deputy minister during the inspection of projects in his constituency.
Kimula General Contractors was engaged to upgrade the school to secondary level at a cost of K377,000 of the CDF but the works are allegedly unsatisfactory.
Dr Chilufya will ensure that investigations in the procurement process are instituted and those found wanting in the procurement of cheap materials are brought to book.
Instead of constructing two classroom blocks, 1 X 3 each, the contractor had only done one block but maintained the same amount (K377,000).
Records revealed that only 200 pockets of cement were used instead of 400.
School head teacher Friday Muchika said construction works started last month and were expected to be complete in August this year but it would not be so because the structure has to be re-done.
During a courtesy call at Chief Mibenge, the tradional leader requested for a new clinical officer at Lubende Clinic to replace the one who died.
In response, Dr Chilufya said the Treasury authority to employ 2000 health workers was out in June, and uploading of positions would start in July.
This meant that Mibenge chiefdom would benefit from the recruitment drive.
At the newly-upgraded Myengele Secondary School in Chembe District, Dr Chitalu donated 10 laptops, bringing the total to 120 he had donated to schools in Mansa Central.
The donation of laptops is in a bid to strengthen Information Communication Technology (ICT) in his constituency in line with the Government’s new revised curriculum.
School head teacher Victor Chanda was grateful to Dr Chilufya for the donation, which he said was timely as the school was preparing its pupils for the first ICT examination but said imparting into them practical computer skills would be a challenge as the school currently has no electricity.
The Rural Electrification Authority is by September this year expected to electrify Myengele Secondary School and others along Chembe Road.