No food, no dogs, CB residents told

IF you do not have money and food at your home, do not keep dogs, take care of your children,” Copperbelt Permanent Secretary (PS) Bright Nundwe has told residents.

And Mr.Nundwe has also disclosed that 1,225 health workers of various displines were last year recruited and deployed by government on the Copperbelt.

Reacting to disclosure by authorities that 2,400 people on the Copperbelt were bitten by dogs in the year 2017, Mr.Nundwe told the Daily Nation in an interview that his office was not going to find pleasure in witnessing residents losing lives or getting mad upon being bitten by rabid stray dogs.

Mr.Nundwe has since directed local authorities and the veterinary department to intensify operation and curb stray dogs in the ten districts. He said it was the responsibility of the local authorities to enforce the laws which stipulated that no resident should house more than two dogs. “Dogs should be locked up during the day and not left roaming the streets without restraint. I cannot allow stray dogs to be moving in my province because we pay high premium on safety and welfare of residents. Each household should only have two dogs and they must be treated, cleaned and registered. We cannot find pleasure in a person getting mad or losing a life because someone is keeping more dogs against what is stipulated by the law. “I want to advise the councils to move from house to house and ensure that dogs treated and registered. I want sanity on the Copperbelt,”he demanded.

Mr.Nundwe said it was important that the responsible offices ensured public welfare and safety of the citizens by preventing the spread of rabies.

Meanwhile, Mr.Nundwe said disclosed that government had continued to recruit and post health workers in the province in an effort to cushion shortages of the human resource.

Mr.Nundwe said the development was unprecedented and it had helped in improving health services. He explained that the deployment of community health assistants at health posts had also strengthened health promotion and disease prevention activities at community level through active community participation. He added that the province had also recorded reduction in a number of referral cases as most were handled at the lower levels.