By DAVID KANDUZA –

VICE-PRESIDENT Inonge Wina is saddened that despite Zambia making improvements on the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the health sector, the county’s  death rate is still among the highest in the world.
Ms Wina cited long distances to health facilities in rural areas as a major contributor to deaths due to delayed access to early life intervention measures.
The vice-president said this at Kapilamikwa Health Post in Lufwanya District recently when Save the Children International handed over a Mother’s Shelter to the Government.
The Mother’s Shelter and equipment were financed by Save the Children Korea, at a cost of K382,000.
Ms Wina said these statistics translated in a population of 48,000 who were travelling more than five kilometres to their nearest health facility in Lufwanyama alone.
“Government’s vision is to ensure equity of access to cost effective, quality health services as close to the families as possible. While we’ve made progress for our urban households in which 99 per cent live within five kilometres from the nearest health facility, only 50 per cent of the rural households do so,” she said.
She said the Mother’s Shelter would benefit the community in Kapilamikwa in accessing delivery facilities on time for expecting mothers, monitoring and quick access to health service.
Ms Wina said this could contribute to the reduction of maternal and child mortality rates in the district.
The Government had constructed nine health posts in five chiefdoms of the Lamba speaking people in Lufwanyama.
And Save the Children representative Caroline Nenguke said the organisation’s vision resonated well with the Government cost effective health measures close to the vulnerable communities.