A proper health system is critically important for Zambia for several reasons. It is needed to improve health outcomes, drive economic development, alleviate poverty, control diseases, promote health equity, and enhance emergency preparedness. A robust health system helps prevent illness, reduces disability, and promotes a productive workforce, leading to increased economic output and prosperity.
His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema has been categorical about the need to improve the health sector in Zambia. He has repeatedly echoed the need to insure that Ministry of Health realigns its operations in order to mainstream the New Dawn Government’s health agenda that seeks an establishment of a well-functioning health system that promotes health equity by ensuring that healthcare services are accessible, affordable, and of high quality for all individuals, regardless of their socio-economic status or geographic location.
In this regard, the New Dawn Government has been working towards creating a responsive health system for Zambia that will not only meet the contemporary needs of our people but also resilient and prepared for emergencies. Suffice to mention that President Hichilema has been categorical that a healthy nation is a productive nation and as such, has directed for a sustained investments in healthcare infrastructure, human resources, financing mechanisms, and effective policies and governance to ensure the availability, accessibility, and quality of healthcare services for all Zambians.
In order to achieve this, the New Dawn Government has put in specific measures that ultimately shall help to improve the healthcare system in Zambia. The measures include:
1. Policy reforms: The government has embarked on policy reforms in order to bring on board policies that prioritize and support the health sector, addressing its challenges and ensuring the availability of quality healthcare services for all citizens.
2. Strategic partnerships: The Ministry of Health has heightened collaborations with international organizations, NGOs, and other stakeholders in the healthcare sector in order to open access for additional resources, funding, and expertise to address the challenges of the sector effectively. Besides, the government has gone into deliberately attracting foreign direct investment in areas such as drug manufacturing in order to set base in Zambia to lower the costs of drugs and stabilize the supplies.
3. Health sector investment: The New Dawn Government has, over the last two budgets, set the tone for increased government financing of the health sector. There has consistently been increased funds allocation to the health sector to ensure the effective implementation of healthcare programs, infrastructure development, and staff recruitment. The government has also continued to allocate sufficient resources towards the procurement of medical supplies, equipment, and the implementation of health programs and other initiatives.
4. Accountability and transparency: The government has heightened the establishment of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation in order to ensure that corruption is minimized and the quality of healthcare services is improved. The Presidential Delivery Unit has moved in to strengthen mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation in order to safeguard the population and stabilise the supplies of medicines in the country. Further, the government is working closely with Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, storage distribution, supply, sale and use of medicines and allied substances. This is also supported by the Zambia Medicines supported by the Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) which is tasked with the function of procurement, storage and distribution of medicines and medical supplies to all public health facilities across the country.
5. Health insurance: The government has been working on enhancing the operations of the National Health Insurance Management Authority (NHIMA) to expand its coverage and make it better equipped to respond to the country’s health service support. The New Dawn Government, from whom the idea of NHIMA was borrowed from have been of the view that expanding health insurance coverage would help protect citizens from financial hardships due to medical expenses thereby improving access to quality healthcare services. It’s important to note that the effectiveness of NHIMA as a national health insurance programme depends on the commitment and sustained effort of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Ministry of Health and the government as a whole. Besides, the NHIMA operationalisation and set-up were rushed and politicised by the Patriotic Front government, hence its systemic challenges, which are being ironed out by the New Dawn Government.
6. Strengthening healthcare infrastructure: The government has been in the high drive mode investing in building and upgrading healthcare facilities as well as completing those projects that stalled or were incomplete, particularly in rural areas. The government feels this move was important in order to help improve access to healthcare services for all Zambians.
7. Human resource development: The New Dawn Government has prioritised investment in training and recruiting more healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and community health workers. In this regard, the government was in 2022 able to recruit over 11,000 health workers. Furthermore, the government is already working around recruiting an additional 3,000 health workers. This would address the issue of understaffing and ensuring quality healthcare delivery. The government is also providing extended support to the Health Professionals Council of Zambia (HPCZ) in ensuring that the health professionals and practitioners as well as healthcare facilities for capacity development meet the minimum requirements of the sector.
8. Health information systems: The Ministry of Health is also working on implementing a robust health information systems that would facilitate data collection, analysis, and decision-making in order to help in monitoring disease outbreaks, healthcare utilization, and targeting resources effectively. Government is working with stakeholders such as CIDRZ, among others, in enhancing staff capacity in health informatics through training and training material development.
9. Community engagement and education: The New Dawn Government has heightened community engagement activities and education in order to improve health awareness, promote preventive measures, and encourage early healthcare-seeking behaviours among the population.
In a nutshell, the Ministry of Health is slowly aligning itself to the New Dawn Government’s aspirations for the health sector and implementing appropriate strategies. This is gradually bearing results as a number of endemic problems for the sector such as drug shortage in the health centres are being addressed. A quick buy-in into the New Dawn Government’s programmes for the health sector has the capacity to significantly improve the health sector and enhance access to quality healthcare services for all Zambians.
Prof. Christopher Simoonga is a distinguished academician and lead professor of the Project of the University of Heidelbergh in Germany/Chreso University-Zambia on Non-Communicable Diseases. He is also the Permanent Secretary-Administration for the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Martin Mushumba is a Public Policy Analyst, Zambia.
