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(LUSAKATIMES) Zambia needs health more than military-minister

Zambia needs health more than military-minister
Sunday, October 31, 2010, 7:47

HEALTH minister Kapembwa Simbao has supported numerous calls by the public to trim down the budgetary allocation to the Zambia defence forces and channeling the excess to the health sector. Mr Simbao told Radio Phoenix that demands by the public were justifiable because Zambia was not at war with any nation but with killer diseases.

“The demands are justifiable, there is need to give more money to the health sector, Zambia has been enjoying relative peace and it is not necessary to give more funding to the defence forces when the people in the country are not healthy.”

“Zambia is at war with HIV, TB, malaria and other communicable diseases, you can be poor with good health, that’s fine, but if you are a billionaire and your health is poor then you are done,” Mr Simbao said.

He said his ministry needed K3 trillion in order to run effectively.

Callers to a Radio Phoenix call-in health programme last week demanded for a reduction to the ministry of defence saying the soldiers did not need the type of arms they posses because Zambia was a peaceful country.

“We don’t need our soldiers to be carrying all those AK47 rifles on the streets of a country which is not even at war. This country is at war fighting diseases, so we need to see medical troops; doctors and nurses with stethoscopes,” said one of the callers to the programme.

Last month, finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane announced an 8.2 per cent budgetary allocation to the ministry of health from the K21 trillion national budget.

Meanwhile Health spokesperson Dr Rueben Mbewe says the World Health Organisation (WHO) has given the ministry H1N1 influenza vaccines.

Dr Mbewe said the vaccines would be distributed starting tomorrow November 1st 2010 in order to eradicate and prevent the fast spreading flu.

Labels: ARMED FORCES, CORRUPTION, HEALTHCARE, KAPEMBWA SIMBAO, REUBEN MBEWE

posted by MrK @ 3:45 AM