The
government has renamed the University Teaching Hospital under
the re-organization agenda.
Minister
of health Dr. Chitalu chilufya said that the Country’s referral hospital will
be called the University Teaching Hospitals adding the letter “s” to the current name “University
Teaching Hospital”.
The
University Teaching hospital has approximately 1655 beds and 250 Baby cots. It
serves as the Country's specialist centre receiving referrals from all over Zambia.
It
provides a full range of primary, secondary, and tertiary health and medical
services on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.
The
re-organization agenda has seen the creation of five hospitals namely; before
restructuring one Chief Executive Officer was in charge of all administrative
issues of the entire Hospital.
•
Children’s Hospital
•
Maternity and Newborn hospital
•
Adult hospital
•
Eye hospital
•
Cancer Diseases Hospital
The
Ministry has already recruited qualified personnel to manage the five hospitals;
these have been picked from among Consultants already working at the University
Teaching Hospital.
Dr.
Chilufya said that the old system of having One Chief Executive Officer
overseeing the operations of the University Teaching Hospital was not good as
it created administrative challenges.
He
said that the creation of five administrative positions is meant to improve efficient
and it is expected that it will lead to quick response.
And Residents’
Doctors Association of Zambia president Dr. Francis Mupeta indicated that the
administration of the University Teaching Hospital needed to be decentralized.
Dr
Mupeta said that the University Teaching Hospital is too big to be managed by
one Chief Executive Officer and decentralizing administrative powers will be to
the benefit of citizens.
Meanwhile
Dr Chilufya has explained that abolished directorates at the Ministry Of Health
have been re-aligned into other departments thereby offloading 35 doctors who
have since been transferred to work across the nation.
Four
directorates at the Ministry Of Health have been abolished in the ongoing restructuring
process.
The
Directorates Are Technical Support Services, Diseases Surveillances Control And
Research, Mother And Child Health Including Mobile And Emergency Health
Services.
The
Ministry now has two Permanent Secretaries catering for Administration and
Technical Services.
On
other developmental issues Dr. Chitalu Chilufya says plans are underway to use
drones in the provision of quality and quick health care in Zambia.
A
drone refers to an unpiloted aircraft that is operated by a remote control.
Rwanda
and Tanzania are some of the Zambia’s neighbors using drones to deliver medical
supplies to remote communities.
And
Dr. Chilufya said that once Medical Stores Limited is fully equipped with
high-tech equipments; drones will form part of the national operations.
