Chinese Government to construct dedicated Public Health Laboratory in Zambia

 

Chinese Minster of National Health and Family Planning Commission Dr Li Bin (left) speaking during the bilateral meeting with Zambian counterpart Dr. Chitalu Chilufya in Beijing, China. Picture By Stanslious Ngosa.

By NDUBI MVULA, Lusaka

THE news that the Chinese Government intend to construct a dedicated National Public Health Laboratory in Zambia that will serve both as a national and Southern African regional reference laboratory, is no mean achievement in sofaras upgrading the health sector is concerned. 

This gesture of the multi-million facility will enhance the detection of high risk pathogens (infections) using modern techniques. 

Zambia’s Minister of Health Dr Chitalu Chilufya was in Beijing, China where he held bilateral health cooperating meetings with his counterpart Dr. Li Bin who is Chinese Minister of National Health and Family Planning Commission.

Dr Li said establishing the National Public Health Laboratory will serve as reference facility for the Africa CDC Southern Africa Regional Collaborating Centre.

She believes that close collaboration between the two countries will assist the building of Africa CDC and strengthen African countries capacity for public health services. 

Dr Li said a strong public health workforce is critical to the Institute’s ability to achieve its mission and meet the public health needs of the Zambian population; therefore, China will also assist in capacity building for both short and long term through training health professionals and Scientists at Masters and PhD levels. 

She said China will provide experts to work with Zambian counterparts over a period of time to transfer skills and knowledge to technical staff at the National Public Health Institute. 

Dr Li said China will also help Zambia attain one of her legacy goals of eliminating Malaria by 2030. 

According to Head Communications & External Relations at the Ministry of Health Stanslous Ngosa, Dr Li said China will provide the expertise to fight malaria, as doing so will further enhance the bilateral health cooperation between the two countries.

And Dr Chilufya expressed gratitude with the Chinese Government’s gesture to help Zambia strengthen her health systems. 

He said the gesture will cement and take bilateral relations to another level beyond business but brotherhood. 

Dr Chilufya said the support to the health sector will contribute to the attainment of Universal Health Coverage. 

He said capacity building in emergency response and surgery as well as provision of surgical equipment and supplies will significantly improve the health systems. 

Dr Chilufya is happy that China is ready to provide technical and material support in setting up a robust Information System that will enhance effective surveillance and outbreak response system through the construction of the laboratory. 

He also thanked the Chinese for showing interest to support various fields of nuclear science to improve electricity supply, medical treatment, irradiation processing and manufacturing of medical supplies among others. 

Meanwhile, one of the Chinese leading pharmaceutical companies, China Sinopharm International Corporation has partnered with the Ministry of Health to construct the vaccines and Medicines Company in Zambia. 

The construction works will start as soon as the technical discussions are concluded and Memorandum of Understanding is signed. 

Some of the vaccines to be produced include yellow, bOPV, HepB (birth Dose), IPV, Sabin Strain, Rota (3-Valent) Measles and HPV. 

Mr Ngosa said a Zambian delegation led by Zambia National Public Health Institute Director Dr Victor Mukonka, are on a 10-day bilateral technical discussions on areas of collaboration and cooperation with the China CDC. 

“The delegation is also learning from the Chinese experience in dealing with epidemic preparedness, response and strengthening the surveillance systems,” he said.

Others on the delegation include Dr Kunda Musonda Head Laboratory Systems and Networking, Dr Muzala Kapina, Head National Surveillance and Disease Intelligence and Dr Andrew Silumesi Director Public Health at the Ministry of Health. 

The rest are Prof Aaron Mweene University of Zambia School of Veterinary and Dr Modest Mulenga Director Tropical Diseases Research Centre.

As Government keeps the promise and acting on it in the provision of quality health facilities, the construction of the multi-million dollar vaccine manufacturing plant expected to be the main and biggest hub in the sub-region truly positions Zambia as the best destination of choice for investment.

Lafarge Zambia Plc enhances waste management

 

By NDUBI MVULA, Lusaka

LAST week, Local Government and Housing Minister Vincent Mwale announced that his ministry is expected to issue a Statutory Instrument (SI) on solid waste management with plans to creating a company with a mandate that will handle issues of garbage.

Mr Mwale announced yesterday that the SI should put in place guidelines in the handling of all waste to curb the trend of indiscriminate waste disposal by individuals, households and business entities.

This should be taken as a serious wake-up call.

A wake up call, not only for the local authorities in the country but for individuals who value the aspect of a clean and healthy environment.

To this extent, some organisations or companies have taken up the task in response to Government’s in sofaras waste management is concerned.

 Lafarge Zambia Plc is one such company that has taken up the challenge. And the company Communications and Corporate Affairs Manager Glenda-Masebe-Kamalata explains why the cement firm had decided to take waste management.

The project is called Geocycle.

She says Lafarge Zambia Plc is part of the LafargeHolcim, a leading global building materials and solutions company in the world.

Ms Masebe-Kamalata says the world’s challenges, in terms of resources, nature and people, require a global and coordinated effort.

“That is why LafargeHolcim has implemented a sustainable strategy aimed at contributing to the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

She says the company is committed to implementing a waste management programme in Zambia in line with the lafargeHolicm Geocycle function.

She further says the firm has created an integrated waste management plant that will be used to provide alternative raw materials and alternative fuel for cement manufacture as well as enhance the environment management of the community.

The Geocycle project is LafargeHolcim’s waste management component which has been in existence for the last two decades in more than 61 countries worldwide, Zambia inclusive.

The initiative started in 2017after a realization that waste management in Zambia is challenge for Municipalities and Government.

“Geocycle aims to contribute to effectively improving the quality of life of the members of our workforce, their families and the communities we operate in. A clean and healthier future that humanity can realize by minimising and repurposing waste remains priority,” she said.

On how the project will benefit the company and the surrounding areas, Ms Masebe-Kamalata says the social and environmental challenges the world is facing are more critical than ever.

She says the newly adopted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on Climate (COP21) have created a new framework for action for everyone, including regulators, companies and citizens.

“This is the reason Lafarge Zambia Plc has embraced the Geocycle project in a bid to manage waste t in the country as whole,” she said adding “Lafarge has also lined up strategies of partnering with the local councils in managing waste and this has reached advanced stages.”

She explains that one of the strategies will include processing waste which will contribute to cleaner environment in the communities hence providing a lasting solution to waste management which has been a huge challenge for the community.

In addition, Ms Masebe-Kamalata says the neighbouring communities will benefit from the collaboration with the local councils in proactively coming up with waste management resolutions.

And that in ensuring that there is alternative use of fuel in the cement production process, the Geocycle project will offer a more sustainable solution.

Ms Masebe-Kamalata says while the Geocycle project will facilitate the waste management in collaboration with local councils and the communities, the systems put in by the local authority will govern the entire process in that the communities will still be mandated to pay their disposal fee for the collection of their waste to the designated waste collection companies.

“Lafarge Zambia Plc has made a commitment to create shared and sustainable value for all stakeholders. This means, Lafarge Zambia Plc shall act as a responsible partner with all its stakeholders to contribute to effectively improving the quality of life of the members of the communities around its operations,” she said.

She says Lafarge Zambia Plc will make contributions related to the environment that include clean-up campaigns, tree planting, other environment related voluntary programs projects such as those for the preservation of nature.

Geocycle project will process with both domestic (Municiple solid waste) and industrial waste and this will be done after careful analysis of the constituents of each waste stream.

Cholera no threat to tourist arrivals, Banda

 Tourism and Arts Minister Charles Romeo Banda

By NDUBI MVULA, Lusaka

MINISTER of Tourism and Arts Charles Banda has assured that the cholera outbreak was not a threat to tourist arrivals as Government through the Ministry of Health has put adequate measures in place to combat the scourge.

That assurance came timely as the tourism sector is a very sensitive sector that reacts quickly to any negative reports or developments.

Mr. Banda in his latest assurance has gone further to state that Lusaka is once more viable as a tourism product worth visiting following the cleanup campaign.

“The city of Lusaka which looked like a village within a city is looking very clean and there is a lot room to manoeuvre. Lusaka is a very attractive city and with the works done by Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Local Government is highly commendable,” he says.

He was speaking when he toured the Central Business District (CBD) this week to acquaint himself with the cleaning works that are being carried out in the capital city following President Edgar Lungu’s directives to fight the cholera outbreak through cleaning the city.

Lusaka with an estimated population of approximately 1.743 million as per October 2009 census, boasts of having a good share of attractive tourism sites.

The capital City is home to tourism sites of international repute such as the resting place for one former and two late Presidents, Frederick Chiluba (1943–2011), Levy Mwanawasa (1948–2008) and Michael Sata (1937–2014), the Embassy Park, as well as the Oliver Tambo house on Great East road in Avondale.

Others are the Kaunda Chilenje house, Chinyunyu hot spring, Lusaka National Museum, Parliament Building, former Lusaka Boys School now housing the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) headquarters, Lusaka National Park and the Munda Wanga Botanical Gardens just to list a few.

There is also the vintage site of art, the Kabwata Culture Centre, Kalimba Reptile Park, Chaminuka Game Reserve, Freedom Statue, the Henry Tayali Visual Arts Centre, Lusaka Play House, and Namwandwe Gallery passionately described as the hands-down and the best in the country for contemporary Zambian art.

Mr. Banda said the city is looking very attractive and good enough for any tourist to stay and enjoy their being in Lusaka.

He has since commended President Lungu for the initiative to clean the city adding that it has returned its actual position of cleanliness.

Mr. Banda said the overcrowding and the unregulated street vending made Lusaka appear like a village in city but is glad that now with the cleaning up and clearing of garbage the City is regaining its Garden City status.

He said there is now room for everyone to manoeuvre in town unlike during the congestion that was in shop corridors that created some negativity about the City.

A visibly excited Mr. Banda conducted an on-the-spot check on Pick N Pay mall situated at Society Business Park where he urged staff to continue maintaining a clean environment as it was a source of food for many people that visit Lusaka including foreign and domestic tourists.

Mr. Banda said it will be a very important to sustain the cleanliness even after the Ministry of Health would have declared Lusaka a cholera free zone because in so far as tourism is concerned, a clean environment enables the sector to thrive.

Tourism by nature thrives on a clean environment and government’s move towards the prioritisation of a clean and safe environment just catapults the massive gains that will be accrued from the sector.