BY FLAVIOR CHISHALA –
JAPAN has provided a grant-contract of around K9.5 million for two of its non-governmental organisations operating in the health sector in Zambia.
The Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA) yesterday received K4.3 million to implement a comprehensive Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV control programme, with a strengthened community participation targeting the rural parts of Chongwe.
Japanese Ambassador to Zambia Kiyoshi Koinuma said the JATA was expected to train medical personnel, such as, doctors, X-ray technicians and laboratory medical technologists, to help strengthen the TB diagnosis and treatment system.
Mr Koinuma said JATA would contribute to the establishment of a well-functioning TB diagnostic and treatment system as well as help reduce HIV/AIDS co-infections in Chongwe.
“This is the first year, phase one of the three-year, community-based project and we expect JATA to continue raising awareness and train TB supporters while sensitising the communities,” he said.
The other organisation, Japanese Organisation for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP), received K5.2 million to implement maternal, newborn and child health one-stop-service project in Masaiti and Mpongwe, on the Copperbelt.
He said the purpose of the grant was to train Safe Motherhood Action Groups (SMAGs) implement sensitisation activities in the area of pregnancy, family planning and the provision of medical equipment necessary for delivery.
“We hope that these activities will contribute to the reduction of child mortality rates among mothers and babies in Masaiti and Mpongwe,” he said.
JATA acting office representative, Yukari Takemura said, TB was the second killer disease to HIV/AIDS worldwide, due to a single infectious agent.
Ms Takemura said despite the decline in the number of TB cases and a high treatment success rate, recorded in approximately 20,000 cases were neither diagnosed, nor treated nor officially registered.
“We discovered many of these patients died or receive other (wrong) treatment and most of them continue to infect others, but the project will contribute to correct the disparity through strengthening health services from the aspect of TB control,” she said.
JOICFP project manager Amane Funabashi said the maternal mortality rate in Zambia was 60 times higher than that of Japan indicating more work was required to reverse the trend.
Ms  Funabashi  said the project would strengthen linkages between the community and the clinics, with an overall view of increasing access to maternal and child health information as well as the utilisation of health services at the community level.