Body urges government to fast-track recruitment of 2,500 health workers

Medical for Quality Healthcare in Zambia (MQHZ) has called on the government to urgently expedite and conclude the recruitment of the 2,500 health workers allocated for the 2025 intake.

MQHZ Director-General, Dr. Quincy Mwabu, said with the year nearing its end, it was critical that the process be finalised swiftly so that new personnel can report for duty at the start of January 2026.

Mwabu, in a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday, emphasised that time was of the essence in addressing Zambia’s health workforce needs.

He said the organisation acknowledged and commended the government for consistently recruiting health workers each year, a move that has contributed to strengthening the national health system.

“We encourage the government to maintain and accelerate this positive trajectory by ensuring the timely completion of the 2025 recruitment cycle,” Mwabu said.

He noted, however, that Zambia still faced a severe shortage of health professionals, particularly medical doctors, a gap that placed immense strain on health facilities and limits access to quality care.

Mwabu said addressing this shortage was urgent if the health system was to remain responsive and effective.

“We therefore urge the government to prioritise the immediate deployment of the remaining doctors in the national database, whose engagement is long overdue,” he stressed.

“We also call on the government to guarantee that the recruitment is conducted in a transparent, fair, and corruption-free manner, so that all qualified health professionals are considered and deployed efficiently,” he said.

He added that completing the recruitment cycle before year-end would be a meaningful Christmas and New Year gesture to the Zambian people, reaffirming the government’s commitment to accessible, equitable, and quality healthcare.

“We remain confident that swift, transparent, and coordinated action by the Ministry of Health and relevant authorities will significantly reinforce the health sector and strengthen public confidence in the nation’s capacity to deliver quality health services,” Mwabu said.

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