. Chilufya

By BRIAN HATYOKA  –
HEALTH Minister Chitalu Chilufya has urged Zambians to protect health infrastructure from vandalism.
Dr Chilufya said the Government was spending huge amounts of taxpayer’s money to construct health facilities across the country and it was important that such facilities were protected from vandalism.
The minister was speaking in Livingstone yesterday in a speech read for him by Health Permanent Secretary Kennedy Malama during the Open Day hosted by Livingstone Central Hospital.
The Open Day was also aimed at raising money for the purchase of a K170KV Gen-set valued at K200,000 as the existing ones are old and unreliable.
Dr Chilufya said the investment on health infrastructure required protection from vandalism and he urged the community to have a sense of ownership over the infrastructure.
“As you are aware, Government has embarked on upgrading General Hospitals into Central Hospitals in a bid to improve health care service delivery to the citizenry.
“This upgrade would ensure that people do not travel long distances to seek specialist medical attention,” Dr Chilufya said.
He said the Government had introduced Theatre Nursing and Public Health Nursing at Livingstone Central Hospital.
“The Hospital is putting occupational therapy and prosthetics and Orthotics before the end of this year.
“This will make Livingstone Central Hospital to be the only facilitiy in the country offering these two programmes,” Dr Chilufya said.
He said the Government has provided funds to construct a new surgical complex which houses many specialists such as Dental Clinic with new equipment, women’s clinic and aa state of the art Eye Centre of Excellence.
To enhance security of the hospital, Dr Chitalu said the Government was in the process of constructing a perimeter wall to secure the new equipment and provide a safe and secure environment for patients and other clients.
He urged health workers to have a positive altitude towards clients and also ensure to respect clients.
Speaking at the same meeting, Southern Province Medical Director Jelita Chinyonga said the province had received more than 700 health workers who had since been dispatched to various districts.
Dr Chinyonga said the dream of the Province was to make Livingstone Central Hospital a medical tourism site.
She said five hospitals were currently under construction in the Province.
Livingstone Central Hospital Senior Medical Superintendent John Kachimba thanked the Government and other stakeholders for supporting the Hospital in its quest to enhance health delivery to citizens.
Dr Kachimba said a number of modern health facilities, which were not there at the Hospital in the past, were currently available from the time Government upgraded the health institution from General Hospital to Central Hospital.