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US Ambassador to Zambia Daniel Foote (left) displays
the smart care card in Ndola. -Picture courtesy of the US Embassy Facebook page |
By
Paul Shalala in Ndola
With the advancement in
technology and the implementation of Smart Zambia, the Ministry of Health has
also gone digital.
Gone are the days when
clinics and hospitals in Ndola used to keep paper files for people living with
HIV and AIDS.
These files had information
on the client’s viral load, health condition and how often they are accessing
Anti-Retroviral drugs (ARVs).
Today, the Ministry of
Health is piloting smart care, a system which allows people living with HIV to
swipe and collect drugs.
In a project spearheaded by
Equip Health Zambia, a United States government funded project, this new system
is revolutionizing service delivery in the health sector.
Using this pharmacy card,
clients can walk to either a private pharmacy or a government clinic to access
these life saving drugs.
The whole process is now
digital and there is no more paperwork involved.
At Lubuto Clinic, the
programme has already been unvieled.
"We have already been connected here. Clients come here and we record all details on this system using the smart card. Then they can collect the drugs anywhere where the cards are accepted," said Sianga Sianga, a Strategic Information Assistant at the clinic.
Smart care has become so
efficient that authorities are now thinking of extending it beyond its current
reach.
Even the stigma which came
with people living with HIV queuing for drugs at clinics has now been done away
with.
"We no longer have
queues here. People just come with their cards, they are attended to and
leave," added Mr Sianga.
United States Ambassador to
Zambia Daniel Foote recently visited a Medical Stores warehouse in Ndola where
smart care is being implemented.
Here, the envoy was taken
through the whole process of the smart care system.
"So if am a patient, i
come with this card and present to you, is it very effective?" asked the
envoy.
The Ambassador was briefed that the system has been so effective that authorities wish it can be extended to other facilities.
So far, 14 government
clinics and hospices as well as six private pharmacies are using smart care to
deliver ARVs to their clients.
Private pharmacies at
Kansenshi, Rekays, Kafubu, Villa and Jacaranda Malls are now connected to smart
care and people living with HIV go there to collect these life saving drugs.
Meanwhile, the United
States government will invest US$385 million in the fight against HIV and AIDS
in Zambia this year.
United States Ambassador to
Zambia Daniel Foote says the American government is investing close to $400
million dollars in the health sector to ensure that access to health is
increased.
Speaking at the launch of
the 2018 US President's Emmergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Country
Operational Plan in Ndola's Kantolomba Compound, Mr Foote said the money being
invested will help patients reduce distances they cover to access health
services.
 |
Dr Chilufya commissions the Kantolomba Clinic as US
Ambassador
to Zambia Daniel Foote looks on -Picture courtesy of Ministry of Health Facebook page |
He said the investment will
also help in reducing congestion at health centers when patients go to access
medical help.
The American envoy also
disclosed that his government has so far invested US$ 3.5 billion dollars in
the last 15 years in Zambia to fight HIV and AIDS.
Mr Foote noted that
Zambia's leadership in the fight against the disease is very commendable.
And Health Minister Chitalu
Chilufya described the United States as Zambia's number one strategic ally in
epidemic control.
Dr Chilufya said the
American government has been very helpful especially in infrastructure
development which has led to the increase in health delivery.
The Health Minister said
the US$385 million the United States Government is investing in Zambia will
help the country meet its health targets.
Dr Chilufya says the first
task under the funded programs will be to escalate HIV interventions among
adolescents both male and female.
The Health Minister said
the American funding will help increase the number of people on Anti-Retroviral
Therapy from the current 890,000 to 1.2 million by 2020.
He further disclosed that no allowances will be paid to health workers as they implement health programs funded by the US government.
Dr Chilufya says health
workers have a salary and no allowances will be paid to them in order to ensure
the money is used for the intended purpose.
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