GOVT WARNS DECLINING DONOR FUNDING TO HEALTH SECTOR COULD AFFECT GROW ZAMBIA AGENDA
GOVT WARNS DECLINING DONOR FUNDING TO HEALTH SECTOR COULD AFFECT GROW ZAMBIA AGENDA
By Nelson Zulu
Government says declining donor funding to the health sector is putting pressure on the country and could affect the implementation of the Grow Zambia Agenda if the situation is not addressed.
Speaking during the second sitting of the Public-Private Dialogue Forum Health Technical Working Group in Lusaka this morning, Government Co-Chairperson Professor Lackson Kasonka said the decline in donor support calls for the development of a sustainable local financing model.
Professor Kasonka says this is necessary to ensure that progress made in the health sector is not derailed by emerging challenges, stressing that a healthy population is critical to achieving the country’s economic agenda.
He says this requires sustainable financing that can support the delivery of quality healthcare without compromising other national priorities.
Professor Kasonka is however optimistic that increasing local production of medicines, with support from the private sector, can help reduce some of the challenges facing the health sector and support Zambia’s development agenda.
Meanwhile, Private-Sector Co-Chairperson Dr. Shailen Desai has called for greater collaboration between stakeholders to support economic growth, stressing the need for dialogue that ensures all sectors play their part in national development.
PHOENIX NEWS