The Centre for Elections and Governance (CEG) Zambia has welcomed the announcement by the Swedish Embassy that they have resumed financial support to the Ministry of Health and agreed with government to take measures to safeguard public funds.[quote]
CEG Trustee Gershom Musonda said withholding of funds to the Ministry of Health by the donor community led to poor service delivery and a sense of hopelessness among ordinary citizens, especially the poor as the Ministry of Health struggled with limited government funds to provide essential services.
Mr. Musonda observed that with little resources provided by government, Zambia’s improved record on maternal and child care was also threatened.
He said it is also good that the Ministry of Health has learnt from its past mistakes and put safe measures in place to protect public funds in a transparent manner.
“We appeal to the MoH to ensure funds are used for their intended purposes. We also want to see the Ministry of Health spending a large portion of its budget on essential drugs and equipment and staff motivation, so that the quality of health service improves,” he said.
Mr. Musonda said there are also “no cost” measures that should be sustained in the Ministry of Health structures such as encouraging staff to be punctual, respecting patients rights and strengthening government’s relations with health workers unions.
He said government should also continue with the investigations of alleged abuse of funds and offices by civil servants in the Ministry of Health and other ministries.
“We appeal to the general public, especially civil servants, to heed President Rupiah Banda’s call for citizens to provide information on corrupt practices. It is ordinary citizens who know what is going on and possibly who is benefitting from organized corruption,” he said.
Mr. Musonda said his organization was impressed with the fast-track method used to probe financial abuse at the Ministry of Health where cartels were made to siphon funds through the manipulation of accounting, administrative and procurement procedures.
He said other weaknesses in the Ministry of Health included apportioning a large chunk of funds to official meetings and seminars, activities that were completely irrelevant to people’s needs.
Mr. Musonda said this is a common weakness and a deliberate policy in other ministries, where decision makers may be benefiting from the procurement on non-essential goods and services.He said government should move with the same speed it has applied in the health sector.
“We also appeal to donors to keep up with their diplomatic activism and guidance so that Zambia can achieve its vision of becoming a Middle Income and Prosperous Country by 2030,” he said.
ZANIS
Wait, kapoko will come back.
Somebody is gonna do it ! Ubwafya ama guys balilepa iminwe so bakekatapo pali iyi donor fund just wait. Ala bwafya!!
Any news about Kapoko ? did he clinch a deal with these guys ?
It’s good you have resumed funding to this gold mine ministry but please GRZ ensure that there is no root for Kapoko this time around or we shall ask these guys to stop supporting you because already you are even planning on who gets what share. Careful bakabwalala
The issue is far beyond Kapoko.MMD has always abused that Ministry since FTJ days,its actually MOH funds that brought LPM (MHSRIP) in power as evidenced by the presidential petition.Bwezani has also inherited the rot & continued to abuse it.eg. His image builders were paid from the same funds
wooooow twalya again ha ha ha. Thank you ooooohhhh thank you
( Tonga Steel ) thank you for the greetings yesterday,i was not online at that time thats why i did not reply.Anyway,i’m fine-alive and kicking! How are you today?Hope to see you on blog later in the day.
What a country which is so much dependent on Donor funding!!! When are we going to be independent in reall terms!!!????
Bamambala are ready to start pocketing the donor- money. MMD always use the MoH- donor money for its activities eg elections. I hope they have no money to dish in chitambo as the bye election draws near. I PROPOSE THE DONORS KEEP THE MONEY AND GIVE IT TO GOVNT UPON INSPECTION OF THE BOUGHT GOODS. I think in this way the money wont be misused otherwise its the same ……they will keep on stealing donor money.
#8..you are right man. How long shall we depend on donor money? If this is the case then I propose to tell them start rulling us. You have failed to rule yourselves guys just tell the basungus to take over as you cant do without their money.
Please Zambia, your fellow counterparts (SADC countries) are able to fund their OPEX and CAPEX from their own funds not donors!!! I have been hearing this same word “Donors” since i was in Grade 6 (12 years) now i’m 35years still hearing the same sh@t word!!!
#10 i agree with you, let the basungus takeover!!! Zambian politicians and Government at large you make me sick!!!!! Why can’t you for once learn from countries like South Africa for God’s sake!!!
My Zambian children work hard and concetrate on looking after yourself and your families while saving enough money and investments for yourself and family for the future. I am not coming anytime soon so please take care of yourselves and keep very far away from politics (and more impontantly) RB
This is cheerful development to guys at MOH. Just wait and see they will devise new sytems to line their pockets. The Auditor General’s office should station senior guys at MOH and should not be allowed to work there for more than two years. Dono funding will continue but has system been tightend up.
This is cheerful development to guys at MOH. Just wait and see they will devise new sytems to line their pockets. The Auditor General’s office should station senior guys at MOH and should not be allowed to work there for more than two years. Donor funding will continue but has system been tightend up.?
Awe na naka mwe!!!
Other than arresting Kapoko and gang, what preventative measures have the MoH and Govt put in place to avoid the repeat of what has gone before?? If they have, very few people have heard about it. And what is Dr. Miti still doing roaming around free? See, this what kills people faith and confidence in our govt and law enforcement branches. It is like Zambian laws are only meant for the least of these. Wa’s up with that!!!!
Deafening silence from Mmembe and other phophets of doom….as for he rest of you who always seem to be blinded by cheap poltics,……SHAME ON YOU.
Dr. Miti will be back
The donor community should take seriously the calls and cries by the opposition parties when it comes to the MMD abuse of MOH resources during campaigns.
They always turn a blind eye when RB and MMD use MOH vehicles on their party campaigns instead of taking action like the Kapoko issue.
Abuse of MOH vehicles and other resources by MMD is no different to Kapoko’s theft of the equivalent of the same resources in the form of cash.
There is need for legislation to protect “Whistle Blowers” if corruption and abuse/theft of government resources is to be curtailed.
Donor dependant syndrome should come to an end. The these politicians were crying as if ni ndalama shabo. You are letting the so called investor rape your minerals resources, take all your wealth then you start begging from them. We need Leaders with vision. Copper, Uranium, cobalt, gold and precious stones can bring wealth to Zambia and Zambia can become a donor country.
ooh, thank God. i will also join MoH and get rich. why suffer when small chaps are getring BIG after joining MoH for 2 years.we all want to lead good life, but the theft at the MoH is worse than we thought and we are now going ther-we are resigning our jobs and get there to munch the donor cash.
ladies and gents I think we should give our country a hand, why don’t we all go back, say by 1st of december this year to go and contribute to development physically instead of on the blog only. What do others think, just an idea
shame that we think being donated to is a flippin rite. wats the adage, teach a punk to fish and he wont need to beg. we are so entrenched in our begging tendecies, like little puppies, we have no motivation to come up with ways of trying to be self reliant…we cant even pretend to try for petessake.
Zambia will never enjoy of being independent……! God help us all
I am really hoping we have now streamlined all processes of approval and disbursement of funds, introduced systematic methods of monitoring and evaluation of the levels of service delivery against the approved plans and corresponding expenditure, as well as instituted mechanisms that will trigger warning lights in the event of any non-compliance, before the actaul misuse of funds takes place! If we have not done this, then we know that we’ll embarrass ourselves again in theyes of the donors!
Whers is Dr Miti? He should be probed carefully, and give us the verdict of the findings. Miti behaved the same way as Dr Bulaya. Bulaya is in jail. Miti used the same banks and systems like Bulaya. Investigators, show us that you can your work. Or let’s surrender the country back to the Bazungus, Mr Banda you’ ve failed to govern the country with dignity.
F*uck you LT!! , where the da*mn is my comment i had posted earlier!!!
Good to hear that the donors have rescinded their decision. Those of you who had chanse to visit some of the district will agree with me that the situation was bad. Did you know that some districts have over 50% of their budgets funded by donors? Just imagin what the suspension did to such districts.
I agree with mwine mushi when he says Zambia will never be independent. Too much greed & shere indescipline. Anyway, thats what our culture promotes. Think of a driver who takes all his cashing to his boss at the end of the day…his friend would ridicule him if they learnt of it…NI CHO PWALALA. Zambian theft is a mixture of peer presure, greed, indiscipline and stupidity. OOh God, what a curse!!