Dept ready to deliver

 THE Department of Health will improve all health facilities to properly implement the free primary health care and subsidised specialised services, secretary Pascoe Kase said.

“This means that all facilities must have all the basic equipment, manpower and other requirements to make the policy fully functional,” he said.

The exercise will determine the level of budget required by each facility so the appropriate levels of budgets are sought from the Government to support the operations of these facilities.

Kase said the department was monitoring the change in the system of health service delivery by introducing provincial health authorities. The department is looking at:

• The rehabilitation of all health facilities in the country;
• improving the management of drugs and medical supplies;
• human resource and provision; and,
• On-going commitment and support to church-run health facilities.

He said for the policy to be effective: “we need regular supplies of medicine, water running into delivery rooms and enough nurses and doctors to serve the patients”.

He said the health system was complex as service delivery was carried out in several ways and each was administered by different departments and levels of government.

 “The committed support of the department of treasury, department of provincial and local level government affairs and church health services is important.”