Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Dr. Kennedy Malama
Government has flagged-off the National Health Facility Census (NHFC) for 2017.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony, acting ministry of health permanent secretary, health services Dr Kennedy Malama said the exercise is extremely important for the health sector as data collected would be useful for policy formulation.
Dr Malama says despite the achievements scored in the health sector in the recent past, the sector is still faced with a number of challenges such as high mortality rates due to, among other FACTORS, poor health-seeking behaviour, inadequate water and sanitation, poor nutrition and inadequate health infrastructure.
He says the National Health Facility Census (NHFC) will target all public health facilities including those operated by the Ministry of Defence, Zambia Police and those health facilities funded by non- governmental Organizations and Faith- based organisations, which accounts to 2, 500 facilities across the country.
Dr Malama says NHFC will gather key information on public health facilities including basic information, geographical location, infrastructure, medical equipment, health workforce and types of health services available.