Defence ministry, US centre, health institute collaborate to strengthen public health amid staff shortages (Video)

The Ministry of Defence has highlighted the need to bolster health service staffing, following the revelation of shortages within the field.

Acting Permanent Secretary, Millicent Mwenda, disclosed that the Ministry of Defence was collaborating with the Ministry of Health, Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) and the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address the prevailing understaffing issue.

Mwenda made these remarks during the graduation ceremony of the 22 Frontline cohorts from the Ministry of Defence’s Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) held in Lusaka on Wednesday.

She said that FETP sought to enhance the country’s ability to respond to public health emergencies at various levels within the healthcare system.

“This is the purpose of the ‘FETP pyramid,’ which strengthens the entire health system in Zambia and enables more rapid detection of and response to disease outbreaks,” Mwenda said.

She urged the graduates to contribute to communities in Zambia, especially given the current rise in cholera cases.

Furthermore, ZNPHI Director General, Roma Chilengi, said that partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention hold the promise of advancing towards a world that was secure and protected from threats of disease.

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