By KAFULA MUTALE –
HEALTH Minister Chitalu Chilufya has revealed that Zambia is pursuing a transformation agenda to rejuvenate the health system and contribute to national development.
The ministry which has since set up a new directorate called ‘Health Promotion, Prevention and Control’ to promote healthy lifestyle that keeps people away from developing non-communicable diseases.
Dr Chilufya who was speaking in London recently, said his ministry was investing in primary healthcare system that addressed social determinants on maintenance of a healthy population.
This is according to a statement issued by first secretary for Press and public relations Abigail Chaponda released to Sunday Times yesterday.
The minister was giving an update on Zambia’s Health Policies at the just-ended 2017 African Healthcare Summit in London where he stressed the need for Zambia to build a healthy and productive citizenry.
Dr Chilufya observed that with the rising middle class, non-communicable diseases caused a lot of disabilities and pre-mature deaths.
He said the ministry had created the new directorate to provide health promotion packages to ensure that Zambians were kept healthy and away from the common practices that cause non-communicable diseases.
“We want to create a platform to engage other players who determine the health of our people. We want to shy away from the passive position of waiting for patients to come with diseases.
“Being hospital-centric does not change maternal and child health indicators and does not improve the health of our Zambian people. We don’t want to be a ministry of treatment; we want to be a ministry of health,” he said.
Meanwhile, during a panel of discussion themed ‘Zambia’s Health Sector Review’, Ministry of Health director-in-charge of health promotion and determinants of health, Kennedy Malama said the retention capacity for skilled personnel in Zambia had improved.
Dr Malama called on Zambian medical personnel in the Diaspora to come and join the Health transformation that is taking place in Zambia.
