Access to quality health Care has proved difficult for most citizens in unplanned settlements despite the massive investment in infrastructure development by the government of the Republic of Zambia.
Makululu unplanned settlement is rated among the top two biggest shanty compounds in Central Africa by the Kabwe Municipal Council with a population approximated to be over 80, 000. Resident Raphael Chikasa said in an interview that it was unfortunate that unplanned settlements continued to lag behind in vital services to help improve their way of life. Mr. Chikasa said that life in a shanty compound was not pleasant and people depended highly on traditional medication due to the inaccessibility of conventional health centers. He said that most health centers were over 25 kilometers away from the closest resident, a situation that makes it easy for them to seek medical attention from herbalists living within their reach.
Another resident Joyce Himaambo said that it was unfortunate that in the twenty-first century expectant mothers still faced challenges of accessing quality health care before and after delivery. Mrs. Himaambo said that several children under five years failed to grow to the sixth year because they lacked quality health care. She noted that several children grew without strict monitoring of their situations which led to the untimely deaths of the children under five.
Mrs. Himaambo wondered why the situation remained unchanged despite the construction of several health centers through Constituency Development Funds (CDF). She said that the much talked about construction of health centers made no impact on the lives of many Zambians as they still had to go elsewhere in search of medical care because the new facilities were either not stocked with the necessary medicines and equipment or had no health personnel.
When contacted for comment Kabwe District Health Office Director Dr. Able Kabalo said that the construction of new health centers came with its own challenges ranging from medical staffing issues to equipment. Dr. Kabalo said that all new health centers were not gazetted by the Ministry of Health making it difficult for the local office to budget for such institutions and their smooth operation. When asked on the immediate mitigation plan to address the challenges of expectant mothers in Makululu, Dr. Kabalo said that his office was working on creating delivery sites.