BY CHRISTINE MWAABA –
FOR a district like Mansa, economic growth entails improving accessibility to major social service delivery facilities and one of these is healthcare.
Deficits in the availability of health facilities in Mansa District of Luapula Province has made people walk long distances to access medical attention at the nearest health facility.
Today, Mansa is opening up its health care services and thanks to the 12 health posts that have been earmarked for construction in the district to reduce the burden of health care accessibility.
Recently the Zambian government under the Ministry of Health embarked on the building of 650 health posts countrywide.
Before the construction of the rural health posts, Mansa depended on a single hospital and and a small number of health centres to access medication.
Residents in Kapesha among other areas of Mansa, have never known a smooth route to healthcare services except by walking long distances to reach the nearest health post.
Therefore, the move by government through the Ministry of Health has definitely cheered local people in the locality. They have expressed delight that indeed, government was taking development to rural areas.
The set-back has been addressed and bliss appears on faces of people and erases doubt that health care service can hardly be available in a far-flung place like Mansa.
This scenario therefore entails that Mansa would now conveniently have improved access to public health services easily comparable to the urban populace.
A resident of Matelo area in Mansa Mr Joseph Kalasa thanked government for building health posts closer to the community.
Improved medical care in the area was long overdue as sick people in his community had to walk long distances to access health services.
Some women in the area do not access services such as ante natal and post natal services including immunisation for children.
Over the years, the challenge of fewer medical practitioners and healthcare facilities in the area resorted to less care and longer response times during emergencies.
Perhaps, the gap will now be closed as the newly constructed health posts attend to a number of these health cases.
At this moment, it means lives would be saved as the health expansion programme filters to the people in remote areas.
This outstanding infrastructure growth cannot be ignored as it certainly shows the commitment by government to offer proper healthcare services to its people.
It is good that government has realised that people in rural habitats were dying because of some complications that arise on the way to a nearby hospital.
Attempts such as building the health post closer to rural residents indicates a positive step in realising sufficient healthcare access.
Policy makers are poised to benefit from this excellent developmental step that evidently helps communities address their needs.
For Deputy Minister of Health Dr Chitalu Chilufya, countrywide health posts yet to be constructed are unprecedented.
Dr Chilufya who was in Mansa District to tour health posts, said these projects embarked on, attest to what the PF government promised the people.
He visited Kapesha, Fiyongoli, Sande, Kafula, Fibale, James, Namadwe and Matanda villages which he said would be open to the public very soon.
The Minister noted that these completed health posts would soon be operational and opened to the public before the end of this month.
Dr Chilufya said from the 12 health posts, eight are ready and would be commissioned.
The newly constructed health posts were ready to operate and health
personnel have already been deployed to the area to commence work.
Before the start of this project, Mansa residents were unable to adequately access health services resulting in several fatalities among those in transit to the nearest clinic or hospital while pregnant women delivered in homes.
“All the completed health posts in Mansa will be commissioned very soon. These health posts will have qualified health personnel to ensure the people of Mansa are given adequate health care”, Dr Chilufya said.
These facilities would take the required health services closer to the people thereby reducing infant and maternal mortality rates in Mansa.
Another resident, James Mulenga saw not only health posts but a well-being benefit and an improved status of Mansa District.
“Government is walking the talk when it says it wants to bring health care services closer to the people and for us in Mansa, we will ensure that these facilities that have been given to us are well taken care of”, the health deputy Minister said.
It is therefore visible that the Government is bringing primary health care service as close to the community as possible.
This development is part of Government’s aspirations as spelt out in the National Training Operative Plan as well as the PF manifesto to promote health.
The Government wants to establish specialised care units that are fully equipped and staffed in order to reduce the number of patients referred abroad.
Service delivery, human resources, medicines and technology, health financing, health information systems, leadership and governance are the major pillars the Government is applying to provide primary health care.