Kabwe’s $83m eye clinic completed
THE $83 million eye department at the Kabwe General Hospital is finally complete and has been handed over to Government.
And Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya has announced the upgrading of Kabwe General Hospital to a third level hospital with increased specialised human resource with recruitment of interns to beef up staff in the transition.
Dr Chilufya said enhanced eye health services were part of the universal health coverage policy engaged to improve the lives of Zambians under the 2030 vision for attainment of a middle income country through improved service delivery for the people.
He said with such advanced technologies, Zambia stands to benefit through such gestures from the people of Norway as could be evidenced from the Lewanika eye clinic in Western Province commissioned over four years ago.
“We can confirm huge impact to the people of Western Province with tremendous reduction in referrals of up to 80% since the opening the facility.
“Even the cost of care and treatment has reduced with specialised equipment and crew at the health centre,” he said.
Dr Chilufya declared Government’s commitment to the friendship with Norway especially with regards to avoidable blindness that affects up to 01% of the Zambian population.
The KGH eye department is structured to service about 1.5 million people.
He said with the modern eye clinic, Kabwe was slowly raising its profile with quality health facilities including the soon to be commissioned trauma centre constructed to attend to enormous casualty emergencies among others.
The eye facility constructed by Lions Aid Norway (LAN) with support from the Lions Norway and NORAD should enhance support towards preservation of sight through advanced eye care for preventable blindness.
The eye clinic include two operational theatres, an in-patient ward with 28 bed capacity and a refurbished out-patient department was commissioned by the health minister in the presence of LAN and Zambia Lions Club 401 at a colourful event mounted that the facility.
And LAN chairperson Lions Clubs International multiple district 401, Arve Lund hailed the fruitful cooperation between Noway and Zambia that has made it possible for the construction of the eye clinic and many other health facilities in Zambia.
Mr Lund said the clinic was in support of the Zambian Government’s Vision 2020 to eliminate avoidable blindness in the country.
“Our work in building appropriate infrastructure and acquiring modern technology supporting human resource training and supporting quality service delivery for eye health, within sector policies such as the national eye health strategic plan.
“Since 2011, Lions Norway through Lions has spent over US$ 6million on ensuring quality eye health services at primary and secondary health facilities in Western and Central provinces of Zambia,” he said.