Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Government has reiterated its commitment to continue implementing the health sector reforms aimed at improving health service delivery at primary levels of care.
Speaking in Lusaka today during a stakeholders meeting for Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhea (GAPPD), Newborn Framework, Strategic Plan and Essential Newborn Care guidelines, Community Development, Mother and Child Health Minister Emerine Kabanshi says the vision of the reforms is to provide the people of Zambia with equity of access to cost effective quality health care as close to the family as possible.
Ms Kabanshi says despite the remarkable achievement in reducing maternal and under five mortality rates, there is need to accelerate and increase implementation coverage of the interventions to achieve the Millennium Development Goal target on maternal deaths and infant mortality rates.
She adds that a significant proportion of the under five deaths in Zambia is attributable to pneumonia and diarrhoea which care among the first top five causes of childhood morbidity and mortality rate in Zambia.
She states that failure to prevent and control these diseases is unacceptable.
Ms Kabanshi notes that her ministry has embraced the integrated global action for the prevention and control of pneumonia and diarrhoea that proposes a cohesive approach to ending preventable pneumonia and diarrhoea deaths, adding that the goal for the action plan is ambitious but achievable.
She has further commended the World Health Organization (WHO), Sava the Children and Path Zambia for the in support in the development and printing of Newborn Care guidelines.
Speaking earlier, Save the Children country Director Tamer Kirolos says to end maternal and newborn deaths, the country must first finish the job of Millennium Development Goals numbers 4 and 5 before concentrating on the post 2015 development agenda.