Lungu warns Chitotela
…be accountable on hospital project or else.
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has warned that he will hold Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development, Ronald Chitotela, accountable for any delays in the expansion work of the Maino Soko Military Hospital.
Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony for the commencement of expansion work for the hospital, President Lungu said he cannot be going around firing people just to prove he was powerful.
"I’ve heard the Minister of Infrastructure promising me that it will be done on time and everybody has been promising me, but Minister (Chitotela) I will hold you accountable to your promise. Deliver this on time, or else.
“Most of my colleagues say I am too soft, too nice, too good… but I am not that good. I can fire people. Ask those I have fired. Do you want to be the next?” President Lungu warned
He said Government would ensure all necessary and modern medical equipment for the hospital to operate in tandem with the current international trends in health management was provided.
The President said the coun- try could not attain meaningful and sustainable development without quality and adequate infrastructure for national development.
He called on the Minister of Infrastructure to ensure that all stakeholders involved in the construction project of New Maina Soko Hospital were readily available.
The occasion marked the start of the US$140 million project scheduled to be completed in three years’ time to refurbished Maina Soko into a multi-billion dollar state of the art modern facility to secure quality healthcare services for the Zambian people.
The project includes upgrading from 77 beds currently to over 300 bed capacity with specialised facilities like MRI, laboratories and equipment in modern medicine as well as housing units for staff and a parking area among other facilities.
President Lungu also said he was in good health contrary to speculation in some sections of society wishing him ill health.
“I will tell you when I am sick. You can hide health but you cannot hide death,” he said.
Those who think am dead or dying, well I am around, I am still around,” Mr Lungu said.