By CHILA NAMAIKO –
ZAMBIA has been connected to more than 3,000 doctors in China following the establishment of a China-Zambia Telemedicine Centre at Levy Mwanawasa General Hospital in Lusaka.
The centre connects the hospital with different health experts at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in Henan Province in China.
Through the centre, Zambian doctors would be able to hold group consultations with their Chinese counterparts on treatment of complicated health cases among patients.
About 30 Chinese doctors are also working in key health institutions namely, the University Teaching Hospital, Livingstone General Hospital, and Ndola Central Hospital.
A Chinese surgeon, Gao Changhui said the telemedicine facility would bring about more advanced medical technologies in the health sector.
Dr Gao was speaking during a conducted media tour of the centre yesterday.
“This centre will bring more improved diagnostic services because there will be face-to-face consultations between Chinese and Zambian doctors on complicated health cases,” he said.
The centre, he said, was one of the innovations to help the ministry of Health achieve provision of cost-effective and quality health services closer to the people.
Dr Gao, who has worked at Levy Mwanawasa Hospital for more than one year, said the Chinese medical experts were committed to offering more modern machines for the treatment of patients.
At the launch of the centre on Friday last week, deputy director of Henan provincial health and family planning commission, Wei Huang said he was confident that with the cordial bilateral ties between Zambia and China, there would be more exchange of ideas to develop the two countries’ health sectors.
Levy Mwanawasa Hospital head of clinical care Clarance Chiluba praised the Chinese government for its continued support to Zambia’s health sector. (See picture on Page 3)