• First Lady Esther Lungu with President Lungu and Zambia Medical Association (ZMA) president Aaron Mujajati (left) at Hotel Intercontinental where she was honoured with the 2015 ZMA President’s Award during the first-ever ZMA Annual Ball and Awards Gala in Lusaka on Saturday. Picture by THOMAS NSAMA

By JAMES KUNDA –

ZAMBIA is poised to be transformed into a regional health hub, where people can access all medical services for curable ailments, President Edgar Lungu has said.
President Lungu has since implored medical personnel countrywide to support this agenda and intensify the deliverance of quality healthcare services closer to the people in a clean, caring and competent environment.
“My Government is building 650 health posts across the country. We are constructing district hospitals and so far, many have been completed. Our vision is to turn Zambia into a regional ‘health tourism hub’ and this can only happen with your help,” the President said.
Mr Lungu said this in Lusaka on Saturday evening when he graced the 2015 Zambia Medical Association (ZMA) annual ball and gala night at Hotel Intercontinental.
At the same event, First Lady Esther Lungu was honoured for her work in pioneering healthcare service delivery at community level.
President Lungu said the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) was undergoing a facelift to modernise it, while the Government was on the other hand investing substantially towards bringing emergency services to international standards.
In this regard, advanced and basic life support ambulances have been bought with capacity building of personnel also on course.
“Other strategies we have embarked on include the establishment of Medical Stores hubs in strategic locations to improve the distribution of medical and surgical supplies to the last mile.
“We have established dialysis units at Livingstone, Kitwe and Ndola Central hospitals, besides the unit at UTH,” Mr Lungu said.
The Head of State was proud that with collective effort, Zambia had continued to post improved health status parameters for her population.
“As you all may be aware, maternal mortality has reduced substantially, infant mortality rate has minimised and under-five mortality rate has also gone down.
“With this remarkable achievement, we should not sit back and applaud our successes, but instead we must all continue working hard to improve our national health outlook,” President Lungu said.
Mr Lungu said the Government would at the beginning of next year start deploying doctors for super-specialisation in the fields of cardiology, nephrology and hematology.
This, Mr Lungu said, was aimed at ensuring the trained specialists retained in the country and served the local people.
He also announced that the Government had committed itself to putting in place the social health insurance scheme, which would soon be operational to sustain sources of funding in the health sector.
Mr Lungu directed Secretary to Cabinet Roland Msiska to consider prioritising doctors for the public service motor vehicle loan scheme revolving fund which has replaced the personal-to-holder vehicle mode.
The move will enhance the retention of medical doctors in the public service.
“I am also aware that the other source of frustration for your members has been wrong placements and delayed promotions. In this regard, I am directing the permanent secretary of the Public Service Management Division to ensure that all human resource impediments for doctors are resolved expeditiously.
“I am also aware that doctors are looking for land where to settle and I expect the new commissioner of Lands to facilitate the acquisition of land by doctors,” President Lungu said.
Mr Lungu congratulated ZMA for winning the country the bid to host the 2017 World Medical Association Council meeting in Livingstone and urged all medical personnel to be dedicated to duty and uphold the integrity of their profession.
Meanwhile, the First Lady was given the ZMA President’s Award for her distinguished contribution to the health sector through community outreach programmes.
Others awarded were Health Minister Joseph Kasonde and Dr Ziche Makukula who each got the ZMA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Also honoured were Professor Lupando Munkonge who was given a ZMA Lifetime Award and Dr Chipepo Kankasa, Prof Kasonde Bowa and Dr Aggrey Mweemba who all got the ZMA Meritorious Award.