Mon, 16 Oct 2017 10:15:23 +0000
By Violet Tembo & Rogers Kalero
ZAMBIA can only attain its vision of becoming a middle income country by 2030 if health care services are accessible to all citizens, President Edger Lungu has said.
And President Lungu has said he will be visiting Copperbelt regularly to check on absentee and non-performing Members of Parliament (MP) in the province because they are betraying the trust of the people who voted for them.
President Lungu said, apart from checking on absentee and non-performing MPs, his regular visits to the Copperbelt would also include visiting constituencies to check on what kind of development projects were taking place.
The republican President was speaking yesterday evening at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Airport before departure for Lusaka after a two day visit on the Copperbelt.
Before his departure to Lusaka, President Lungu drove through Luanshya Town centre to Roan constituency where he was met by marketeers at Mpatamatu market who sang songs in support of his leadership.
He said he had visited Lufwanyama constituency on Saturday and yesterday he decided to visit Roan constituency to check on what challenges people were facing and what was needed to be done.
“I will be making regular visits to the Copperbelt to check on which MPs are working and those who are not working so that I know them. In my visit to the Copperbelt I also want to be checking on what developmental projects are taking place in the constituencies,
And speaking during the commissioning of the newly constructed Nkana clinic and Chapula Secondary School in Lufwanyama district on the Copperbelt President, Mr Lungu reiterated government’s efforts in fostering infrastructure development in the health sector.
President Lungu said the country still had a high disease burden despite government making steady progress in reducing maternal and child mortality rates respectively.
Mr Lungu commended Kagem for building Chapula Secondary School and appealed to other private sector players to emulate and complement government’s efforts.
“Education is a game changer for a country to build a resilient economy. A country cannot grow its economy with ignorant people, cannot improve production or reduce poverty with uneducated people,” Mr Lungu stated.
“We want to appreciate Kagem’s efforts and 942 pupils are enrolled at Chapula Secondary School near to their homes,” the President said.
And in his welcoming remarks, Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo said he was not happy that the investors (Kagem) and other mining companies in the area had failed to construct a 20km road stretch connecting to Kalulushi district.
Meanwhile Kagem board chairperson William Nyirenda said the facilities the company was handing over to government were fully furnished and equipped.
Mr. Nyirenda disclosed that the clinic had already witnessed safe deliveries and the first child delivered at the facility was named Emerald.
