TWO new cholera cases have been recorded in Nakonde District in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 17.
15 patients have since been discharged, while the two remain hospitalised and receiving treatment.
Minister of Health, Elijah Muchima, has announced the development stating that his Ministry is working closely with the Ministry of Water and Sanitation to prevent the disease from further spreading.
He emphasised the urgency of ensuring access to clean and safe water in the area as a critical measure to combat the disease.
Speaking during a meeting with the management of the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka today, Dr Muchima also stressed the need for health workers to maintain professionalism in their roles.
He noted that this would not only bolster public confidence in the health system but also support the government’s broader developmental agenda.
Dr Muchima underscored the importance of continuous professional development to improve healthcare delivery nationwide.
“Specialist training is critical, and I will support it. We need to enhance this training to reduce complaints from the public,” Mr Muchima stated.
Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary in charge of Technical Services, Kennedy Lishimpi, noted that the government has installed advanced medical equipment, including CT scans and X-ray machines, in 54 sites across the country to enhance diagnostic capabilities.
“We are working on having 10 CT scans in Lusaka alone. With these improvements, the complaints about inadequate diagnostic facilities will be reduced,” he said.
Dr Lishimpi further highlighted that the government’s introduction of training health professionals in specialised fields of medicine which includes pathology, is already showing positive results.
“We had a very huge backlog of pathology specimens, over 7000 at UTH due to a shortage of pathologists. Now, with the introduction of local training programmes, we have a pathologist in every province and the necessary equipment for histopathology has been procured,” he explained.
The Zambia Medical Association President, Kaumba Tolopu, applauded the government’s progress in advancing healthcare services.
He however emphasised the need for health professionals to adhere to ethical guidelines in their practice.
Dr Tolopu pointed out that professionalism is vital in complementing the infrastructural and training advancements.
“Health workers who fail to comply with the guidelines provided by the government must be taken to task,” Dr Tolopu said.
He further urged the Health Professions Council of Zambia (HPCZ) to play an active role in monitoring and enforcing ethical standards among health practitioners.
