Wake up, engineer’s challenged

… Lungu unhappy with failure to alert govt on poor workmanship.

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has challenged resident provincial engineers and beneficiaries of public infrastructure to own projects from inception to ensure high quality works are delivered.

And President Lungu has said the Patriotic Front government is on track on its policy of decentralising healthcare services closer to the communities.

President Lungu said Engineers in provinces should not wait for the president or top government official to visit projects to raise concerns of faults on newly constructed undertakings.

Mr Lungu also said residents who are beneficiaries of projects in respective communities should ensure they take ownership of various infrastructure Government is putting up.

"It’s incumbent upon the beneficiaries of these infrastructure developments to alert us if there is any problem, for example the disintegration we have seen in this building is disheartening but do beneficiaries and engineers in provinces have to wait for the president or any high ranking government official to visit to bring out such issues," questioned the President.

The President was unhappy that the first phase of Nyimba District Hospital is disintegrating and developing cracks wondering what engineers would recommend.

He was speaking shortly after he toured phase two of the construction of the hospital in Nyimba yesterday.

Meanwhile President Lungu said Government is on track on its policy of taking quality health care services closer to communities.

He said people who question and doubted the National Health Insurance policy should visit hospitals and appreciate its impact on people.

"If you want to interrogate the national health insurance policy, visit hospitals like Nyimba because when we started these people challenged us and said a lot of things but here we are, it is working now we have in excess of one million people registered,” Mr Lungu said.

He said the government's plan is to take health care system closer to the people to ensure they cover short distances to access health services.

President Lungu reiterated Government’s position to ensure health facilities are upgraded with a high trained workforce to give improved quality health systems across the country.

And Nyimba District Health Director Dr. Misheck Mbewe said he was confidence that once the health facility is completed it will improve health services in the area.

President Lungu also toured Nyimba Main Market to greet traders.