•KASONDE

By NORMA SIAME –
CHOLERA, which was recorded in Mpulungu in January this year, has persisted, although there is a decline in the number of new infections.
Acting Northern Province medical officer Lawrence Phiri said the fear was that the water-borne disease, which thrives in unsanitary conditions, would now spread to the flooded areas of Kaputa District.
Dr Phiri was briefing Health Minister Joseph Kasonde, who is in Northern Province to flag off Government health projects.
He said a team of medical personnel had arrived in Kaputa and begun distributing chlorine to disinfect contaminated water supplies.
Dr Kasonde was also told that the highest number of modifiable diseases record in the province was dysentery followed by chicken pox, dog bites and measles.
The dysentery cases recorded last year were close to 800.
On staffing levels, Dr Phiri said the current establishment was, especially when compared with rural health centres.
“Only Mungwi has above 50 per cent of health centres having more than two qualified staff,” he said.
The health worker ratio for the province was at 40 per cent per 100, 000 population, translating into one health worker for a population of 2,500.
The province, however, had adequate essential medicines and other medical supplies in the past year as all health facilities reported above 87 per cent availability.
Dr Phiri said currently, there were adequate stocks of anti-retroviral medicines, while paediatrics   formulations for prevention of mother to child were out of stock
The minister said it was the ministry’s quest to increase the number of skilled workers.
He said 10 nurses and six midwives had been to Kasama.