WE SHALL NOT DEMOLISH UTH ALL AT ONCE En route to our engagements in the Central Province, I came across your comments, concerns and questions about my plans for the University Teaching Hospital. I would like to give you all some clarity on this subject. It is not an experimental demolition project. The Zambian people have complained about the state of the hospital and about the health care system and facilities in the country. I believe the Zambian people deserve to have health care that is reliable and matches up to international standards and protocols. I believe that Zambia needs an upgrade in scientific research, laboratory equipment, efficiency of medical treatment, the standards and working conditions of our health care and medical personnel as well as an increased capacity for the overwhelming demand in health services. It is for these reasons and many others, that we plan as the New Hope MMD, once we are back in government, to embark on a project that will see us take down and rebuild the University Teaching Hospital, stage by stage and section by section. We will not stop until we have replaced what exists today with a multi-story, multi-faceted, ultra-modern hospital. A hospital that will have the capacity for patients to sleep in beds and not on the floors. A hospital that will have clean labs, brand new, up to date research sections, efficient out-patient facilities, pleasant staff that are adequately qualified and adequately compensated for their service. We will systematically build a hospital that will cater for the health care needs of our people and the replacement of UTH will be important right where it is because it is a central location and reachable to many people who deserve to go to a hospital that can accomodate them. This will not be the only facility we build. But the University Teaching Hospital is an iconic institution. It will be impossible to preserve it in its current state but we will ensure that it remains where it is and becomes a place we can be proud of as a nation for generations to come. I thank you and God bless you.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 17:53:01 +0000