MINISTRY of Health Permanent Secretary Donor Coordination Dr George Sinyangwe says government has formed the first ever technical working group on non-communicable diseases which will help in disease control.
And Dr Sinyangwe says government’s partnership with UNICEF has enabled the Ministry to deal with multiple public health emergencies while maintaining essential health services such as immunisation.
Speaking during the MOH-UNICEF Program of Cooperation in Health and HIV-2023 Mid–Year Review meeting, Wednesday, Dr Sinyangwe said the partnership was critical in supporting the strategies and guidelines in the National Community Health Strategy for 2022-2026.
“This review is [at] a point at which we take stock, assess and analyse the performance of the MOH-UNICEF partnership. This moment allows us to make mid-cost adjustments if required. We must scan our operating environment such as the ever-evolving context of COVID-19 pandemic concurrent and multiple public health emergencies and other competing priorities for the sector so that we can have a pragmatic way forward for the remainder of the year. Despite the health sector operating in a complex and challenging context over the last couple of months, I am proud to highlight some of the achievements that we have recorded so far this year,” Dr Sinyangwe said.
“Our partnership with UNICEF has enabled us to deal with concurrent and multiple public health emergencies while maintaining essential health services such as immunisation. We repositioned again, with your support, our immunisation program to deliver COVID-19 vaccines using existing public health systems that led to the achievement of high coverage of COVID-19 vaccinations at 86 percent at some time in the past. We have established seven centres of excellence offering essential newborn care and these have helped to save lives. We formed the first ever technical working group on non-communicable diseases and that again would help in disease control. The Ministry of Health-UNICEF partnership was critical in supporting the strategies, protocols and guidelines namely the national community health strategy 2022-2026, the national immunisation strategy, the community health service package, the adolescent health strategic plan package and the Ministry of Health quality of care standard”.
Dr Sinyangwe said the Ministry needed innovative approaches and technologies to promote and strengthen integrated service delivery in critical areas such as HIV service packages.
“We need innovative approaches and technologies to promote and strengthen integrated service delivery through revitalising the primary health care systems in each platform. The Ministry sees UNICEF as a critical partner in the implementation of integrated service packages such as EPI, HIV, PMTC etc. In line with the government’s policy, there is a need to strengthen the capacity of district health offices on decentralised planning and implementation using a multi-sectoral approach involving local authorities and communities. UNICEF is one of our cooperating partners in the health sector, contributing to the achievements of the national goals as outlined in our strategic document such as the national health strategic plan of 2022-2026,” said Dr Sinyangwe.
“UNICEF channels its technical and financial support in alignment with the following documents of programmes: Government of Zambia UNICEF country programme of cooperation 2023-2027 and the United Nations sustainable development cooperation 2023-2027.The Ministry of Health partnership with UNICEF in health and HIV AIDS programming encompasses a number of programs such as immunisations, maternal neonatal health, child and adolescent health, HIV AIDS focused on PMTC and paediatric HIV, care and treatment, public health emergencies, etc”.
