Hamududu doubts govt ability to attain MDGs

Hamududu doubts govt ability to attain MDGs
Written by George Zulu in Monze
Tuesday, February 24, 2009 8:43:22 AM

UPND Bweengwa Member of Parliament Highvie Hamududu has doubted Zambia’s ability to attain Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in health and education by 2015, blaming it on lack of practical commitments.

In an interview after he conducted a tour of his constituency on Sunday, Hamududu said the attainment of the MDGs in health and education depended on the expansion of infrastructure and capacity building of human resource in rural areas, a development which he said the government had failed to attain.

He said there were no corresponding figures of new infrastructures being built to the number of pupils enrolling in schools. Hamududu said the situation was the same in the health institutions throughout the country where a lot of people were denied access to health facilities due to distance, inadequate and untrained medical personnel.

Hamududu said the government’s attempts to attain the MDGs as enshrined in the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) and the Vision 2030 fell short of the commitment and significance on the part of government in the expansion of infrastructure and improved conditions of service for both teachers and health workers.

"The failure by government to address the issues we have raised in the past will definitely halt the attainment of MDGs in health, education and other sectors of the economy. There is no doubt about that, you cannot increase the enrollment of pupils without firstly considering expanding classes. You cannot hope to attain education for all when teachers are demotivated; you cannot reduce the high mortality rates when rural health centres are incapacitated, yes on paper they would but practically it is impossible," he said.

He said most rural health centres in the nation were run by untrained staff and without medical facilities, adding that child mortality rates were too high without showing any progress.

Hamududu said government should double its efforts in the quest to practically attain the MDGs on health, education and other sectors by formulating a programme that would ensure implementation of pronouncements.

He however, commended Water Aid International for its commitment to help Zambia attain the MDGs in water and sanitation by sinking 86 boreholes in Bweengwa constituency which would benefit over 20,000 villagers.

"Water Aid International has put up 86 boreholes in Bweengwa Constituency and that means that half of the people will have clean and safe drinking water and good sanitary facilities. But this should not only be left to donors; it is a responsibility of government to ensure that people have clean and safe water," said Hamududu.