By MAIMBOLWA MULIKELELA
HE 52nd East ,Central and Southern African Health Community (ECSA-HC) Health ministers conference opens today in Harare, Zimbabwe with focus on strengthening the health care services in the region.
The conference would bring together ministers of Health from member States of the ECSA health community including Zambia's Health Minister Kapembwa Simbao, senior Government officials,experts,health researchers, heads of health training and research institutions.
The conference was aimed at identifying policy issues and making recommendations in improving utilisation of evidence to effect positive transformation in health care.
The theme for the conference is 'Moving from Knowledge to Action: Harnessing Evidence to Transform Health Care Services'.
According to the programme issued to Journalist in Harare yesterday, Mr Simbao is expected to present a ministerial statement on Zambia's progress on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Mr Simbao would also participate in a ministerial round table discussion on leadership and prioritising of non communicable diseases and nutrition intervention.
At the conference member states were expected to accelerate the implementation of the Maputo Plan of Action.
This conference had come at a time when Zambia's focus for next year's Budget was to ensure that health care delivery was not compromised by increasing allocation for the health sector by 30 per cent.
Zambia was the only country within the ECSA region whose allocation to the health sector has been more than 15 per cent of its national Budget since 2006 in accordance with the Abuja Declaration.
Ministers of Health in the region would also give evidence based policy making and programming to improve health systems functioning in their respective.
Zambia would also highlight the abortion and Constitution making process and the Copperbelt model of integrated care for survivors of rape and defilement.
Other countries attending the ECSA-HC are Zimbabwe, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Uganda, Tanzania and Swaziland.
Times of Zambia
