Health Care

Hospitals and Rural Health Centres

In 1991 the so called “Health Reform” was introduced by Government. The aim was to provide all with “equity of access to cost-effective, quality health care as close to the family as possible”. This sounds nice but it is far from the truth. Never before has the delivery of health services been in such a crisis. Measures introduced such as retrenching the workforce by half, fee-paying for admissions and medicine, restructuring of the administration through the introduction of health boards and many things more, have only be effected half-heartedly. The result after nine years of restructering is a complete failure. Workers who have been laid-off have not yet been paid their terminal benefits, salaries are paid late and only at an average percentage of 46%. In July 2000 and in January and February 2001 no salaries at all have been paid. The mission hospitals are by contract “Grant-Aided”, that is to say: The government is supposed to pay the salaries of the CE’s (classified employees or ordinary workers) and give a monthly fixed grant towards the expenses of the running costs. The average grant paid in 2000, however, has been in the range of 30% of the promised and budgeted money.

Please read a true story showing the effects of this reform

On the following pages we want to provide you with detailed information about the Hospitals and RHC (Rural Health Centres) in the Diocese. Informations on all Centres is currently beeing gathered and you can expect to find additional pages monthly.

Chalabesa Rural Health Centre
Our Lady’s Hospital at Chilonga
Ilondola Rural Health Centre
Mulanga Rural Health Centre