ZAMBIA: Catholic Hospital Administrators Discuss Future Plans
Mwenya Mukuka
Administrators running Catholic Church health institutions in Zambia are gathering in Lusaka to share experiences and improve collaborations on how to improve health service delivery in Zambia.
The meeting also aims at sharing achievements, challenge, future plans and how to raise funds in the quest to deliver the best health service to community members.
Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) National Health Coordinator Sr. Agnes Lungu who is the lead organizer of the meeting says the Catholic health institutions which in the past years have been facing some challenges, aim at delivering the best health service.
Sr. Agnes noted inadequate medical supplies and late release of grants from the government as some of the factors affecting the delivery of best health service.
She has since appealed for support from the communities where these health institutions are found to come and help in any way possible.
She further disclosed that plans are underway to devise a comprehensive and uniform strategic plan for Catholic health institutions in Zambia.
Meanwhile Ndola’s St. Dominic’s’ Mission Hospital Administrator Sr. Elizabeth Njovu says her institution is struggling with drug supply to support more than 17,000 people the mission hospital services.
Sr. Njovu also said that despite St. Dominic’s’ Mission Hospital having been upgraded to 1st level hospital, it still does not have enough staff.
She further revealed that the road network in the area is bad and has affected the hospital’s outreach programs.
Sr. Njovu appeals to the newly recruited medical staff to have passion to serve as they enter the medical field.
And Sr. Esperance Masawee Bahati of Minga Mission Hospital in Petauke bemoaned the irregular release of grants by the government to the institution while Monze Mission Hospital Senior Hospital Administrator Sr. Juunza Mwangani says that with the introduction of National Health Insurance Management Authority (NHIMA), some improvements are being seen especially that the insurance has been reimbursing the funds to the hospital.
Sr. Mwangani also noted the improvement in the health of children in the catchment area of her institution.
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