Minister signing off on funding criteria for district programme

HEALTH Minister Elias Kapavore says he would sign off on the district hospital rollout support programme funding criteria by Monday.
Kapavore said a stop was put on the disbursement of the funds since he took office to make sure there were control mechanisms to ensure the money was spent specifically for its intended purpose. He said the Government released K100 million this year for the programme which would now be accessible by districts after endorsement by MPs.
Kapavore said the Health Department had data on State-run medical centre throughout the country which would facilitate the planning process. “This will help us to control the funds properly to achieve its intended purpose to make universal healthcare accessible to our people,” he said.
He said the Government allocated K50 million in the 2018 Budget for the district hospital programmes and the K100 million given this year would assist districts upgrade their facilities to district hospital status with doctors.
Kapavore said since taking on the ministry, he had strive to ensure funds were managed and released based on submissions.
He said control mechanisms would enable better reporting for both the district development authority to the Health Department.
Kapavore said unlike in the past, he made sure the funds were released based on the need of the selected district hospital and used for that purpose with Health Department officers following up on the use of the funds at the district level.