Lusaka – 22 May 2017 – In its continued efforts to support the Ministry of Health to deliver efficient health care services to the people of Zambia and to strengthen the capacity to respond to health threats, the WHO Country Office donated emergency medical supplies and assorted medical equipment to the Ministry of Health on 18 May 2017.

The items are intended to support emergency response activities including Ebola outbreak. At the handover ceremony which took place at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Lusaka, the Officer in Charge, Dr. Katepa Bwalya said that WHO was committed to supporting the Ministry of Health in strengthening its capacity to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks. “In the event of an outbreak, it is essential that adequate supplies are maintained to ensure that sufficient medical commodities are available.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the yellow fever outbreak in Angola, ongoing cholera outbreaks in Tanzania and indeed in Zambia and more recently the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo have brought to the fore the need for stronger surveillance, preparedness and response capacities at all levels” she said.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Chitalu Chilufya commended WHO for its continued support to the Ministry of Health. He stated that the donation was timely because the current Ebola outbreak in DRC calls for stronger surveillance particularly at boarder areas and the improvement of port health services. He said that this kind of support was critical in strengthening the health system and enabled the government to expand health services delivery to the population.

“The Ebola Outbreak in West Africa exposed weak health systems, therefore it is key to protect the public from health threats”. He said. He emphasised the importance of putting in place measures to protect the population from health risks in line with the requirements of the International Health Regulations (2005). Dr. Chilufya said that the government was committed to strengthening the National Public Health Institute (NPHI) called upon WHO to provide support to improve the functioning of the NPHI.

Present at the handover ceremony were senior officials and technical officers from the Ministry of Health, the Director of the National Public Health Institute, officials from the University Teaching Hospital laboratory services, technical staff from the WHO Country Office and journalists from electronic and print media institutions.

For more information contact:

Nora Mweemba, Health Promotion Officer, Email: mweemban [at] who.int, Tel+260 211 255322