By VIOLET MENGO,
SINCE President Rupiah Banda assumed power in 2008, Government has been working round the clock to deliver on the promise and three years down the line many infrastructural developments have seen the light of day.
One of the major infrastructure developments the government of President Banda initiated is the Lusaka General Hospital (LGH). The multi-billion kwacha hospital built with the help from the Chinese government was on Monday commissioned by President Banda.
Mr Banda has put the improvement of the health sector top on the agenda and the opening of the Lusaka General Hospital is proof that the health delivery system is getting closer to the people.
Mr Banda commissioned the K48 billion new Lusaka General Hospital with a call on the district health management team to devise new and more effective ways of looking after public infrastructure and appealed to the public to desist from vandalism.
"My only plea to all of you is that you play a serious part in looking after these facilities and guard them jealously. Please play a role in discouraging vandalism, the hospital has been built for you at great cost and you must benefit from its services for a long time to come," said Mr Banda.
The opening of the 150-bed second level hospital is yet another indication of President Banda's desire to preside over an administration that is committed to taking quality and affordable health care as close to the people as possible.
The construction of the hospital is aimed at decongesting the University Teaching Hospital (UTH). Other clinics in Lusaka, such as Matero, Kanyama, Chawama and Chipata, have already been upgraded to mini-hospitals. The Lusaka General Hospital was constructed by China Jiangsu International Economic Cooperation under a grant by the People's Republic of China.
The newly-constructed hospital covers a floor space of 7,500 square metres with 150 sickbeds. Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Zhou Xiao said departments such as internal machine, surgery, gynaecology and Obstetrics, paediatrics, emergency, imaging and radiology will be set up to facilitate comprehensive medical services. Mr Zhou said China has equipped the hospital with 128 categories of modern medical equipment, laboratory facilities and auxiliary installations.
Other equipment include CT scanner, a digital X-ray machine, a coloured ultrasound system and fibre gastro scope.
Mr Zhou said more equipment would be made available to the hospital by China to meet the increasing needs. President Banda's Government has in the last two years built hospitals, health centres, health posts, training schools and houses for medical staff to enhance access to quality health care countrywide.
"My Government is determined to improve the health delivery system in the country so that our vision to provide Zambians with equity of access to cost- effective health care as close to the family as possible is realised. We are doing this by building modern district hospitals throughout the country," Mr Banda said.
The President said the Lusaka General Hospital is a high- tech shining example of the reliable and mutually beneficial relationship Zambia enjoys with the People's Republic of China.
Government is not only building hospitals, but also ensures that the facilities have sufficient drugs and are manned by a professional and motivated workforce in order to ensure that the hospitals have adequate manpower.
Mr Banda said a recruitment drive for manpower has been embarked upon both locally and abroad. For this year alone, Government allocated K52 billion to the Ministry of Health for the recruitment of different categories of health workers, and the process is ongoing.
"We have opened a new medical school at the Copperbelt University to train more medical and dental surgeons. We also hope to increase the intake of students in our institutions by expanding learning facilities and opening new ones," he said.
The introduction of new training programmes such as the direct entry training for midwives and parallel enrolment schemes for clinical officers have led to a significant improvement in the number of personnel in the country.
China has also decided to attach 11 Chinese volunteer doctors to the hospital while the 16th team with another 28 doctors is ready to leave China for Zambia anytime soon.
From 1978 to date, China has made 500 scholarships available to Zambia. 150 have completed their studies while others are still studying medical science in China. Among the 44 students who are going to study on Chinese scholarships this year, 13 of them will major in medicine.
The medical scholarships are aimed at helping Zambia's capacity building in the health sector, which is equally as essential as hospital building.
Mr Banda said the commissioning of the new district hospital in Lusaka is an affirmation of another great achievement Government has recorded for the people of Zambia. He said the new hospital is another demonstration of what Government is accomplishing to improve health service delivery to the people.
In the last two years Government has built hospitals, health centres, health posts, training schools and houses for medical staff to enhance access to quality health care.
All Zambians who appreciate the services being offered at various medical facilities in the country will admire and support the work Government is doing.
"We have been able to plan for the increasing demands by constructing the modern hospital. My Government is also aware that Lusaka faces many other health concerns such as HIV and AIDS, maternal health demands and critical injuries arising from road traffic accidents which will now be ably handled at the new hospital," Mr Banda said.
A Lusaka resident Margarate Chibwe, who witnessed the official opening of the hospital, commended Government for bringing the health facility closer to the people. Ms Chibwe, who lives in Chainama near the hospital, said the facility will help them access medical attention easily without having to incur a lot of costs on transport to UTH. She said.
"This is the development that we have been waiting for, health is key to any nation and we are grateful that the facility has been brought close to us."
These developments that are taking place are in line with the Sixth National Development Plan 2011- 2015.
The vision for the health sector is equitable access to quality health care by all by 2030; its goal is to improve the health status of the people in Zambia in order to contribute to socio-economic development.
The ambassador said managing a modern hospital well is not easier than building it and he pledged his country's support to work closely with Zambia to make the hospital fully functional as early as possible.
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