Children’s health top priority – health ministry
THE Ministry of health will not tire in safeguarding children’s health in the country and this is manifest in the structure of our national health strategic plan says permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health Jabbin Mulwanda.
Speaking in Lusaka when he launched the essential new born health care package and new born protocols training materials that aim at addressing child mortality in the country, Dr. Mulwanda said that the national health strategic plan would address challenges in matters pertaining to children’s health.
He said that the launch of the documents was a big step in attempting to implement what government had set out to do in the strategic plan.
“To address issues of child mortality we need trained health workers, but these health workers are supposed to be equipped with the requisite skills and evident informed tools to help them deliver on their mandate”Dr Mulwanda said.
He said that provision of quality health services was key in attaining the country’s goals and this could only be achieved by improving skills in healthcare workers.
Dr. Mulwanda said that the issue of child health required a multi sectoral approach.
“let us invest in coordination, it does not come by chance and am aware that for us to come up with these documents we collaborated, but let us also work towards implementation, ”he said.
Dr. Mulwanda said that the training package was useless if implementation was not prioritised. He said that the organisations should put up clear strategies to insure that the guidelines in the packages work.
And centre for infectious disease research in Zambia (CIDRZ) chief executive officer Dr Izukanji Sikazwe said that children’s health care was of great importance and CIDRZ would continue to partner with Government to reduce the high rates of child mortality in the country.
Dr Sikazwe said that CIDRZ was confident that the launch of the documents would contribute to equipping health practitioners with relevant skills and competencies.