By JAMES KUNDA –

DEPUTY Speaker of the National Assembly Mkhondo Lungu has implored members of Parliament (MPs) to take a leading role in increasing access to sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) and HIV/AIDS prevention programmes by the people.
Mr Lungu said MPs should prioritise access to SRHR and HIV prevention programmes for their constituents to foster improvement of healthcare delivery among the public.
He was speaking at Parliament buildings in Lusaka yesterday when he opened a two-day workshop for MPs on SRHR, HIV/AIDS and governance programmes.
The workshop, which is being hosted under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF), intends to involve MPs in SRHR and HIV issues.
“As an ardent advocate of change, I am of the view that as lawmakers, parliamentarians should be in the driving seat to propel change in society.
“In this case, Zambian parliamentarians are, through this workshop, being challenged to change the status quo on the way SRHR issues in the country are prioritised,” Mr Lungu said.
Mr Lungu hoped that the MPs would take up the mantle to improve SRHR programmes at national and regional levels so that the Zambian Parliament could be a model and reference institution in that regard.
The SADC-PF SRHR and HIV and governance project was coined at a plenary assembly session held in Lilongwe, Malawi, eight years ago to ensure that parliamentarians participated in the cause to address sexual reproductive health challenges.
On this score, MPs have been encouraged to ensure that resources channelled towards SRHR programmes are transparently utilised and beneficiaries are not disenfranchised.
The second year of the SADC-PF SRHR and HIV and governance project will run from December 10 this year to December 10 next year.
Participants in the Lusaka workshop are expected to coin an implementation framework that will be rolled out in the forthcoming period.