SITEMBILE SIWAWA, Lusaka
DEPUTY Minister of Community Development Mother and Child Health (MCDMCH) Obius Chisala says Government will this year recruit 500 medical personnel in the district first level hospitals to enhance health service delivery.
Speaking after a fact-finding mission at Chipata’s first-level district hospital, Mr Chisala said there was urgent need to increase staffing levels in district level hospitals.
Mr Chisala, who was accompanied by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Elywin Chomba and director Mother and Child Health Caroline Phiri, also dismissed reports of inadequate health delivery at Chipata first level district hospitals.
Mr Chisala noted that “increasing the number of medical personnel in district hospitals will alleviate the problems patients face.”
And Professor Chomba said the upgrading of Chipata health centre to district level hospital has seen an increase in the number of operations being conducted.
The Community Development PS said Government prioritised caesarean section operations at the hospital to reduce the high maternal and mortality rates.
She said this service was important to the women within the catchment area and will reduce the number of women dying while giving birth.
Professor Chomba said other types of operations are yet to commence once Government recruits more medical personnel.
“The operations done here are undertaken on a 24 hours basis and we expect to reduce deaths and decongest the University Teaching Hospital. District level hospitals are as good as UTH, so we expect people to make use of them,” she added.