PF govt committed to transform Health Sector – Lungu

President Lungu officially opens Chilenje First level Hospital

President Edgar Lungu says his administration considers the health of the people as a key strategic economic factor to facilitate the attainment of Zambia as a prosperous middle income country by 2030.

The Head of State said this in Lusaka today when he officially opened the Chilenje First Level Hospital.

President Lungu says it is for this reason that government embarked on the ‘Healthy City’ Initiative aimed at strengthening hospital services in line with community based health services.

He says he’s happy to note that the opening of Chilenje and Matero Hospitals has drastically reduced referrals to UTH and Levy Mwanawasa general hospital labour wards t from 28 percent in December 2016 to 14 percent as at January 2017.

President Lungu further noted that Chilenje Hospital has seen a reduction in referrals for all cases from 226 cases in the first quarter of 2016 to 165 in the first quarter of 2017.

Speaking at the same event, Health Minister Dr. Chitalu Chilufya assured the nation that the government will not derail from its agenda of taking health services closer to the people.

And Japanese Ambassador to Zambia Hidenobu Sobashima says the Japanese Government had given the Zambian Government a total of K200 million for the upgrading of Matero and Chilenje clinics into first level hospitals.

He says the Japanese government is pleased that the fruits of the grants are being seen and will go a long way in providing health services to the people.