• Government is constructing health infrastructure to ensure people in Eastern Province have access to quality health services. Picture by STEPHEN MUKOBEKO/ZANIS

By HLUPEKILE NKUNIKA –
LACK of basic infrastructure development in least developed countries like Zambia has continued to affect economic growth, a situation that has contributed to high levels of poverty.
Realising this fact, the Zambian Government invested substantial amounts of money in infrastructure development countrywide in a bid to grow the economy and subsequently reduce poverty through wealth creation.
The infrastructure being developed includes health facilities, roads, schools and markets.
For example, in the Eastern Province, Government embarked on the construction of various infrastructure in Nyimba, Chipata, Lundazi and Vubwi districts.
Eastern Province infrastructural officer Lawrence Kunda said the hospitals were being constructed in a three phase manner.
Mr Kunda said 85 per cent of construction works at Nyimba District Hospital have been covered under phase one where the Government spent K9.6 million.
The construction of Chipata District Hospital that started in March 2014 and which was expected to be completed in November this year has however delayed because of some hitches in the procurement process.
About K10 million will be spent on the project to build the administration block and Out Patient Department. China Jiangxi is carrying out the works.
In Lundazi District, the hospital under construction is at phase three and the works are expected to be completed soon.
The works being done at the cost of K8.7 million, started in January 2013 and were scheduled for completion in October last year, 75 per cent of the works are complete.
The works included construction of the administration block, male ward, Out Patient Department, four staff houses, incinerator and a mortuary.
The female and children wards and six low cost houses would be built by Mercury Lines Construction Company in phase three of the works which started in June last year and were expected to be completed within a period of 12 months.
The construction of Vubwi District Hospital by Zammchin Construction at the cost of K13 million has started whose works would include construction of an administration block and OPD.
The 12-month project which started in February last year is at slab level and works are expected to be completed by March this year.
The ministry of Health in Eastern Province last year, received K10.3 million for the construction of health posts and houses for medical staff in all the nine districts of the province.
This is against a total budget of K13.3 million representing 77 per cent of the funds released for development projects.
There are plans to construct two staff houses in Vubwi and Chipata and a staff hostel in Mambwe. He noted that only one of the projects had been implemented.
Five out of the planned seven health facilities were rehabilitated and extended in an effort to improve the environment in which health services are delivered.
In order to further advance the delivery of health care services, the Ministry of Health with support from the European Union, spent over K44 million on  rehabilitation of infrastructure at the three nursing schools in the province.
A 1×2 classroom block and an administration block are under construction at Mwami and St Francis schools of nursing and K1, 375,500 was spent on the completion of a dining hall at Chipata School of Nursing.
“This is intended to support the scale up of professionals being trained in order to enhance enrolment which can improve access to qualified health staff among communities,” he said.
The move was aimed at enhancing enrolment in these facilities in an effort to increase staffing levels among health facilities as more students graduate.
He also noted that four ART clinics have been constructed with support from the global fund.
He said that the clinics were built at Chimpembe Health Post in Nyimba, Chiparamba Rural Health Centre in Chipata, Vulamukoko Rural Health Centre in Katete and Kazembe Health Post in Lundazi District.
The provincial Infrastructure officer also noted that Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) projects, Saving Mothers Giving Life were constructing  mother’s  waiting shelters and maternity annexes in Sinda, Petauke, Mambwe and Vubwi districts.
Government is constructing 57 health posts in all the nine districts of the province. In Chadiza District, one health post is nearing completion in Chief Zingalume’s area.
Chief Zingalume of the Chewa people said construction of the facility would reduce the distances that people, especially expectant mothers walk to access health care services.
Chief Zingalume noted that people in his area walk a distance of 10 kilometres to access medical services.
“Many times I would use my vehicle to take patients to Chadiza District Hospital as some of them would be too weak to walk that distance,” he said.
The traditional leader was hopeful that there would be no delays in getting manpower for the health posts and that they would be equipped with adequate drugs on a regular basis in order to efficiently attend to the health needs of the people.
Enala Zimba explained that some women would deliver in homes because they could not cycle or walk to Chadiza Hospital while others would even deliver on their way to the health facility.
In Vubwi District, a community health worker, Mary Phiri said expectant mothers used to deliver in homes which she said was a threat to both the life of the mother and the unborn child.
In Mambwe, district medical officer George Mushanga disclosed that a mothers’ shelter was being constructed at Kakumbi Zonal Health Centre.
Dr Mushanga noted that the construction of the mothers’ waiting shelter was aimed at ensuring that expectant mothers have easy access to healthcare as they wait to deliver.
Dr Mushanga stated that expectant mothers were encouraged to stay at the facilities so that they could be quickly attended to within the clinic if complications arose.
“They don’t have to walk long distances, they can easily access the required services promptly,” he said.
With regard to delivery of drugs, Government established a medical stores hub in the provincial capital, Chipata.
Provincial medical officer Abel Kabalo stated that the establishment of the hub has improved the delivery of drugs as hospitals can easily get their orders from Chipata.
Dr Kabalo also noted that to further enhance the delivery and storage of drugs, Government was constructing storage facilities in each district of the province.
Such developments were expected to improve the delivery of health care services and reduce the disease burden as the province undergoes economic and social development – ZANIS