GOVERNMENT has emphasized the need for private sector investment in the healthcare sector, citing the growing population and burden of Non- Communicable Diseases ( NCDs).
And it has come to the attention on the one-day medical entrepreneurial Indaba that a total investment of $50 million is required to employ over 2,000 unemployed medical graduates.
Minister of Health Elijah Muchima said the country has also commended tw private sector for coming up with innovatio to supplement its efforts.
In a speech read for him by Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary in charge of technical services Dr Kennedy Lishimpi, the minister said at the inaugural Entrepreneurial Medical Indaba organized by the Southern Africa for Collaboration Research and Innovation Organisation (SAICRIO), that private sector needs to be more innovative and help in delivering healthcare services.
“The government cannot do it alone. We need the private sector to partner with us in delivering quality healthcare to our citizens, especially in rural and urban areas,” the Minister said.
The Indaba, themed “Accelerating Zambia’s Digital Health Future Through Scalable Innovation,” brought together stakeholders to discuss solutions to the country’s healthcare challenges.
SAICRIO Board Chairperson Dr. Ngosa Chisupa said the event aimed to catalyze transformative conversations, ignite partnerships, and showcase solutions to pressing health system challenges.
SAICRIO executive director Wilbroad Mutale said the organization and it’s partners are seeking an initial investment of $50 million to employ over 2,000 unemployed doctors, provide entrepreneurship training, and support them in starting their own practices.
He said if half of the Zambian population can donate K5 each, that amount would be raised to implement the programme.
” We are at the crossroads and numbers don’t lie. There is a cost to the doctor and a cost to the skills and that is what you need to plant a seed,” he said.
Prof. Mutale explained that the $50 million would go towards thw 18 month internship for the selected medical graduates and provide entrepreneurship training to enable them start their own practices and other businesses.
Zambia Medical Association of Zambia (ZMA) President Dr Masiku Phiri commended the initiative, saying the association supports efforts to address the issue of unemployment among medical graduates. “The current situation in Zambia is that there is one medical doctor for every 3,000 patients, far below the World Health Organization’s recommended ratio of one doctor for every 1,000 patients,” Dr Phiri said.
He commended government for employing many doctors in the last two years.
Resident Doctors Association of Zambia ( RDAZ) Dr Paul zchibwe said more needs to be done to address the shortage of medical personnel.
He said government alone cannot adress the issue of un employment among medical graduates.
Some of the partners that have supported the Entrepreneurial Medical indaba are SAICRIO, Zambiai Medical Students Association, Ministry of Health, RDAZ, Amref and others.
