University Teaching Hospital (UTH) Senior Medical Superintendent John Kachimba says UTH-Adult has continued recording high mortality and morbidity rates among under-five children brought in with burns.
Dr Kachimba says the health institution is concerned with the high rate of deaths recorded in under-five children and has put in measures to curb the vice.
He said that statistics have revealed that the mortality rate is high indicating an increase in the percentages.
Dr Kachimba said this during a training for health professions at UTH in Lusaka.
He said from December 2023 to March 2024 the percentage rate of under five children dying from burns stood at 22 to 53 percent.
“Our desire is to improve the health services and this underscores the need for evidence based practices to improve the outcomes”, Dr Kachimba said
Dr Kachimba said adopting a performance and quality improvement framework such as the Ministry Of Health performance improvement approach is crucial for achieving the highest targets that the institution strives for.
“We are all aware of the high mortality and morbidity that we see among children with burns and this calls for an aggressive approach in dealing with the problem “, Dr Kachimba.
He stated that for decades that the health professionals have practiced, no significant improvement has been observed in reducing the mortality rates among under five children who suffer from burns
Dr. Kachimba said with support from Provincial Health Office the institution has embarked on building capacities among the multi-disciplinary teams in reducing the scourge.
He said managing burns and the outcomes of these injuries is a multi-disciplinary problem.
“The training marks a significant step in our continued journey towards excellence and this highest health institution”, Dr Kachimba said
And Lusaka Province Health Director Simulyamana Choonga says he is hopeful that the training will help improve health care delivery in under-five children with burns.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Dr Kebby Mazyamba said the participants are hopeful that they will sustain the trajectory and deliver the desired results, further appealing to UTH management to organize more training to build capacities in the health sector.
