MQHZ urges new Health Minister to improve healthcare delivery

The Medical for Quality Healthcare in Zambia (MQHZ) has issued an urgent appeal to the newly appointed Minister of Health, calling for robust, results-oriented leadership to overhaul the nation's public healthcare infrastructure. Speaking through Director General Dr. Quince Mwabu, the health advocacy organization stressed that systemic challenges continue to heavily burden ordinary citizens seeking medical attention across the country. Among the pressing concerns highlighted are persistent shortages of essential medicines and medical supplies, equipment breakdowns in major public health facilities, and a severe maldistribution of healthcare professionals. Dr. Mwabu pointed out that despite previous government efforts to recruit thousands of frontline medical personnel, patients continue to experience extended waiting times and compromised service delivery on the ground. The organization underscored that the ultimate benchmark of success for the ministry should not merely be policy declarations or infrastructure groundbreakings, but whether an ordinary Zambian can access timely, safe, and affordable care when required. Addressing the human resource crisis remains a top priority, as overstretched nurses and doctors struggle to cope with high patient volumes in both urban and rural clinics. Beyond logistical and resource deficits, MQHZ placed strong emphasis on rooting out corruption within the health sector. Dr. Mwabu urged the new minister to foster absolute transparency, strengthen institutional oversight, and ensure that credible allegations of financial mismanagement or procurement irregularities are thoroughly investigated. Transparency in medical procurement is seen as vital to ensuring that public funds directly translate into life-saving drugs and functional hospital equipment rather than disappearing through administrative leakages. The call comes at a critical juncture as the New Dawn administration attempts to realign its broader developmental agenda tow