The Health sector has been allocated a total of K8.1 billion out of the K86.8 billion 2019 national budget which translates into 9.3 percent towards supporting health service delivery systems across the country.
And K900.1 million has been allocated towards ensuring good supplies of medicines in health centres and hospitals.
K32. 8 million has also been allocated for community health services in order to redress the imbalances between curative and preventive health care.
And in addition, K620. 2 million has been allocated towards the various infrastructure development projects that are currently underway in the health sector.
Minister of Finance Margret Mwanakatwe said this when she presented the 2019 national budget in Parliament today.
She said government will continue investing in the health sector to improve health service delivery countrywide.
Mrs. Mwanakatwe said there is need to ensure availability of adequate skilled human resource in order to improve the quality of health services in the country.
She noted that between 2016 and 2018, over 15, 000 core health workers have been recruited against the 30,000 target by 2021.
The Minister stated that in 2019, the recruitment of frontline health staff will continue in order to operationalize the newly constructed health facilities.
Mrs. Mwanakatwe further announced that currently, 215 doctors out of a target of 500 are undergoing specialized training adding that specialized training for nurses in areas such as oncology, public health, and trauma and emergency has also commenced.
And the Minister added that in 2019, government aims at achieving a reduction in maternal, infant and child mortality which will be achieved through the provision of emergency obstetric and neonatal care equipment and the supply of vaccines and food supplements for children.
She also indicated that currently out of the 1.1 million people who are eligible for antiretroviral therapy, 800,000 people are on treatment, representing a coverage rate of 72.7 percent.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance has also allocated K10. 7 million to the Ministry of Health towards operationalization of the newly introduced national health insurance scheme.
All that money towards drugs ka? Should i hear ati kulibe munkwala kaguleni…tizakatana pa tupi uku kuma uth
Appalling reporting no comparison with last year which was slightly higher…whats wrong with journalist of today in Zambia!!
I agree the journalists are too lazy now even to do a comparison of easily accessible data …. The allocation has actually reduced in value terms and further when u factor exchange rate (most medical supplies are imported) and inflation. And what happened to 15% of budget target to health???? ati ba reporter ? This is no different from sticking things on a board
Let’s develop this thing! It is UNELECTABLE.
It’s still really good news, good enough that the world’s press should be shouting it from the rooftops… Sadly it will hardly register beyond the relatively small number who give a damn about Zambia. This must change.
Ba editor naimwe does this make any sense?
The Health sector has been allocated a total of K8.1 billion out of the K86.8 billion 2019 national budget which translates into 9.3 percent towards supporting health service delivery systems across the country.
The money does not even reach the hospitals! How can you have a second level hospital going for 3 months without any grant allocation?