Community and Health ministry services realignment

Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health Joseph Katema says the Patriotic Front government is determined to deliver on its campaign promises to the people of Zambia through a committed and vibrant civil service.

Dr Katema said the PF government has realigned the ministry of community development to include mother and child health in order to improve service delivery at community level.

He said many health challenges that health centers were dealing with should be better addressed at community level and the PF government wants the district medical offices to be integrated into the ministry of community development for the provision of a holistic service at community level.

He said the officers in his ministry should work with health officers at community level because many primary health care issues that health centers were grappling with would be lessened if the clinics and health centres were integrated into the ministry of community development.

Dr Katema added that malarial, diarrhoea and cholera epidemics were not occurring at health centres but in the community where sensitization of better practices of hygiene, the proper use of mosquito nets and boiling of drinking water should be done.

He said the policy shift and the realigning of the ministry of community development will lessen the occurrences of diseases that would be dealt with at community level.

He said the ministry of health will remain at district hospital level to deal with referrals of complicated cases which will also reduce on referrals abroad.

He disclosed this during a meeting which included ministry of health, community development and social welfare officers at the Luapula provincial administration conference room today.

And Luapula province Assistant Secretary Peter Chilambwe said civil servants were agents of change and development and urged civil servants to remain committed in taking services closer to the people.

Mr Chilambwe said it was through commitment that civil servants could improve the living standards of the people in the province.

He said the realignment of the ministry of community development could reduce incidences of maternal and infant mortality in the province.

Mr Chilambwe has appealed for efficiency and effectiveness by the civil service in the delivery of service to the people at community level.

And Acting Community Development Provincial Officer Lawrence Kaonga appealed for de-linkage of his department from receiving funds through the provincial Accounting Unit because of the difficulties in accessing the funds.

Mr Kaonga said he was finding difficulties in implementing his programmes under his department because funds were not easy to access through the provincial  Accounting Unit.