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Zambia has finalised negotiations with the United States government on a new five-year health agreement, paving the way for the mobilisation of US$3.6 billion for the health sector, Health Minister Professor Roma Chilengi announced in Lusaka on Tuesday.
Chilengi said the agreement, which had undergone months of technical reviews, was now ready for official signing following the resolution of contentious clauses that had sparked public debate and the agreement would be signed this week on Thursday.
During a media briefing at the Ministry of Health in Lusaka, Chilengi announced that the revised agreement addresses all major concerns raised by Civil Society Organisations, professional bodies and members of the public.
He said the government engaged widely with stakeholders to ensure the final document protects Zambia’s national interests while preserving the longstanding health partnership with the US.
“I am happy to announce that the government of Zambia and the government of the United States are happy with the MOU as it stands, and we are ready to proceed to signing,” Chilengi said.
The Minister explained that key sticking points had centred on the duration of the agreement, data protection, intellectual property and benefit sharing, as well as specimen sharing.
“There were contentions on the data protection aspects. There were contentions on the intellectual property and benefit sharing. There were contentions on the specimen sharing and conditions, and I am happy to say that all those contentions have been reviewed and adjusted,” he said.
According to the Minister, the revised agreement completely removes any obligation for Zambia to share specimens, a clause that had attracted the strongest criticism.
“The MOU as done now completely has no specimen sharing conditions. That is completely removed. The government of the Republic of Zambia will not be obliged to share any specimen as a result of that MOU,” Chilengi said.
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On data sharing, Chilengi clarified that the final document only provides for information related to monitoring and evaluation of programme implementation.
“In the MOU as we have it ready for signing now, there is only information that speaks to monitoring and evaluating the program as it goes forward. So the concerns around data have been completely removed,” he said.
Chilengi described the agreement as a landmark and positive financing model designed to strengthen domestic health financing over the next five years.
“Over the next five years the US government is committing to support the Zambian government with funding that will augment the work that we do, and as a requirement the government of Zambia is expected to incrementally increase its contribution to health so that by the end of the five years, we do not create a gap in financing of the health sector,” he said.
Chilengi said the joint contribution from both governments would result in a total funding envelope of $3.6 billion over the five-year period.
He said the development should be celebrated as a major boost to Zambia’s health system, and expressed gratitude to the United States for its continued partnership.
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