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Health sector demands increased support – KK

Health sector demands increased support – KK
By Sandra Lombe
Sun 04 Apr. 2010, 04:01 CAT

DR Kenneth Kaunda has said the health sector demands increased support and appropriate funding so that professionals are able to handle even the most complicated cases.

During the inaugural lecture by Professor Mary Ngoma at Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka, Dr Kaunda said increased support and adequate funding would help the professionals perform their tasks for which they were trained. Prof Ngoma is the first female medical doctor and pediatrician to be appointed Professor in the field of medicine and pediatrics in Zambia.

“The health sector is of critical importance to our nation. We need healthy workers to till our land. We need a healthy workforce for our mines. We need healthy teachers to manage our schools. Indeed we need healthy medical professionals to run our clinics, rural health centres and our hospitals,” Dr Kaunda said on Thursday. “We need a healthy population to advance our development agenda.”

Dr Kaunda said the occasion was of immense importance to the country in recognition of the rights of all citizens irrespective of gender.

He said during the struggle for independence, the freedom fighters undertook to fight colonialism and its attendant problems - segregation and racial discrimination.

He said they fought against injustice in order to establish a fair and just system of governance where race and gender should not be an issue in society.

“I am confident that their contribution to our struggle will be fully recorded in the scrap books of history. To all intents and purposes, their bravery and inner decisiveness to wage a relentless struggle for justice was incredible,” he said.

Dr Kaunda said he had vivid memories of their contribution to the struggle and nation building.

He said in those days, there were many women who served in UNIP as members of the central committee and some in government at various levels.

Dr Kaunda said the University of Zambia (UNZA) had trained many medical doctors whose professionalism was among the best in the world and they continued to serve Zambia well.

“Their professionalism has also been well-appreciated in other countries where they are serving,” he said.

He said Dr Ngoma had excelled in the demanding field and devoted her time and energy to saving lives particularly the children in the department of pediatrics and child health.

Dr Kaunda said children deserved particular attention because it was not easy to determine the nature of their illnesses.

He said dealing with children required special skills, patience, devotion to duty and an aptitude to correctly diagnose their illness as wrong prescription of drugs could result in unpleasant consequences.

Dr Kaunda paid tribute to Prof Ngoma for her professionalism and care for the sick.

“For she rightly belongs to a distinctive class of eminent dons. Among the women in this class are Dr Mutumba Bull and Professor Nkandu Luo. As Zambians we should be proud of their achievements," he said.

He appealed to the medical professionals, the government and other stakeholders to intensify the fight against HIV/AIDS, which had seen many orphans, roam the streets without any hope of a better tomorrow.

Dr Kaunda said Zambia had made some significant strides in various sectors of national development.


“I am also aware that more needs to be done in order that we can defeat poverty, underdevelopment, illiteracy and diseases especially malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS,” Dr Kaunda said. “As we pay deserving tribute to one of our distinguished compatriots, let us be mindful of the need for honesty, sincerity and selflessness in public service. Service to our fellow human beings should be above all else."

And UNZA Vice-Chancellor Prof Stephen Simukanga said the institution was proud to produce Prof Ngoma, saying it was not easy to be a professor.

UNZA dean in the school of medicine Prof Yacoub Mulla said Prof Ngoma had demonstrated that the achievement was possible even for women and urged her to continue contributing effectively in pediatrics and child health.

University Teaching Hospital (UTH) professor of paediatrics and child health Chifumbe Chintu commended Prof Ngoma for the books she had written.

Labels: HEALTHCARE, KENNETH KAUNDA, MARY NGOMA

posted by MrK @ 3:21 PM