. Chilufya

By REBECCA MUSHOTA –
THE Ministry of Health has undertaken a tour of Rwandan hospitals to study the health insurance scheme with a possibility of replicating it in Zambia so as to cater for vulnerable Zambians.
Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said the Rwandese government had a good health insurance scheme that was benefiting many of their citizens.
Dr Chilufya said this when he met Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Susan Sikaneta in Addis Ababa on his way from Rwanda.
This is according to a statement issued by the Zambian Embassy in Ethiopia.
“The minister explained that the Rwandese government has a very good health insurance scheme that Zambia could study so that best practices are learnt from this and replicated in Zambia,” the statement said.
Dr Chilufya said the Government should invest in a health insurance scheme that should benefit many Zambians.
He said proper financing for healthcare was one of the key achievements by the PF under the leadership of President Edgar Lungu.
Dr Chilufya said to improve healthcare financing for the citizens Cabinet approved a Bill which would be taken to Parliament in February 2017 to address some of the issues.
He said the Bill was a milestone for Zambia.
Dr Chilufya said the estimated cost implications were negligible compared to the benefits of the scheme for Zambians.
This scheme will benefit the vulnerable and that is why the Ministry of Health is studying the model Rwanda is using.
Meanwhile, Dr Chilufya said the Government was taking measures to address the deficit of health workers.
He said all hospitals in the country were being upgraded, but faced a limiting factor of sufficient medical personnel.
Dr Chilufya said the ministry was expanding medical personnel, especially in provincial centres to cut down on taking patients for treatment abroad.