Waiving off user fees in government health institutions has resulted in an immediate increase of patients seeking health services from public health centers and institutions in Zambia, according to a recent draft report.
It has also triggered drug shortage in most government health centers, Civil Society for Poverty Reduction Senior Consultant John Milimo said here Wednesday.
The increased number of people visiting health centres has led to working overloads on the part of the health personnel whose numbers had remained stagnant, Milimo said.
The abolition of user fees has further resulted into a loss of the main financial resource of government institutions and there had also been a loss of staff such as cleaners and security guards, he said.
Milimo has urged the government to put in place extra remedial measures aimed at attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on health.
Milimo said the attainment of the MDGs on health would not be realized because there are so many health requirements that needed to be worked on by the government and other stakeholders in an effort to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
He cited the adequate supply of drugs to respond effectively to increased demand for public health services, increased staffing levels at resource health centres to enable the health personnel to attend to the skyrocketing population seeking health services as some of the necessary requirements needed for the realization of the MDGs.
Others measures include the provision of an adequate budget to heath institutions, the provision of transport such as ambulances to cater to patients who travel long distances, said Milimo.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article