Hertta-Maria Amutenja
The parliamentary standing committee on gender equality, health and social welfare found serious gaps during its oversight visit to the region.
At Kaenda Clinic, the committee learnt that the facility has no cleaners. The community rejected the recruited candidate, preferring to select one of its two volunteers. The clinic now operates without cleaning staff. Although it has a mortuary and an incinerator, both remain unused because there are no trained workers. Nurses at the clinic have housing and said they are satisfied with their living conditions.
At Sachona, the situation is worse. The clinic has been operating from a tent since September 2024. Construction of a permanent facility, set to be finished in April 2024, remains incomplete. Despite receiving another government project, the contractor responsible for the two-room extension last visited the site in early August 2024.
The oversight team also found that a house built in the 1960s for nurses has been converted into storage and a pharmacy. The building has no air-conditioning, raising concerns about how medicine is stored.
Residents say these issues are not new. In 2024, Judea Lyaboloma councillor Humphry Divai said people still travel long distances for healthcare. “People still walk 80 km to and from to access health services. There are only two clinics serving over 8 000 residents in the area. This other clinic at Sachona was constructed in 1972, before I was born. The government has failed to upgrade or even do some renovations to the facility. The building and nurses’ home are dilapidated,” Divai said.
Zambezi’s acting health director, Yolanda Lisho, said healthcare has improved through staff recruitment, a better supply of medicines and equipment, and new infrastructure. She noted that clinics in Muzii, Malengalenga, and Linyanti are 90% complete. She added that long procurement processes often delay medical supplies.
The region has one state hospital, 26 primary healthcare clinics, three health centres, and 51 outreach points. Recently completed facilities include Impalila, Schuckmanburg, Ngoma, Lusese, Masokotwani, Kanono, Kaenda, Sibbinda, Choi, Sangwali, Chetto, Lisikili, Bukalo, Ngweze, and Mavuluma.
The committee’s findings show that despite new investments, rural communities still struggle with staffing shortages, unfinished buildings, and limited access to healthcare.
