Accurate information critical for attainment of Universal health coverage
By Staff Reporter
Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya says accurate and timely information on population, health and nutrition is critical towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.
Speaking at the launch of the dissemination of results of the 2018 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey, Dr Chilufya said results of the survey provided key health information for planning, monitoring and evaluation of health programmes in the country.
Dr Chitalu said that government was investing in attaining universal health coverage by strengthening health systems through strategies informed by the highest level of evidence, which advance international understanding of global population and health trends.
He said that the surveys provide an unparalleled body of comparable data on demographic, health and nutrition indicators, which were a primary source of reproductive and health information.
“The aspiration of Universal Health Coverage is anchored on evidence-based priority setting and effective resource allocation to achieve targeted interventions. Key to the attainment of these objectives is performance measurement,” he said.
He added that in order to measure performance in the health sector, large surveys are undertaken that complement the health sector’s administrative means of collecting data from the public facilities.
Dr Chitalu added that accurate and timely information was necessary for programme managers, policymakers, and implementers to monitor and evaluate the impact of existing programmes and to design new initiatives for health policies in Zambia.
And Ministry of National Development Planning minister Alexander Chiteme has assured that it would continue to produce statistics to ensure that government accounts for its developmental results.
Chiteme said that his ministry would therefore continue to prioritize the production of statistics to this effect.
“About 13,500 rural and urban households have since been covered in the country,” he said.
