UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL RENAMED

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.