Dr. Chilufya’s counsel is premised on a policy formulation dimension that places Zambians at the nub of its economic development goals.
Lusaka, Sept. 10 – Hon. Sylvia Masebo decimated the Ministry of Health in less than a year of being appointed Health Minister not because she is not hard working but because a sensitive Ministry such as hers, requires a person with an eagle’s eye view.
Also Read: Dr. Chilufya urges Govt to implement the One Health Approach.
Listening to President Hichilema during the 3rd Session of the 13th National Assembly presidential address, it was shocking to hear the Head of State, repeatedly, contradicting his Minister of Health on key health policy issues that have drawn the attention of Dr. Chitalu Chilufya over the last couple of years.
◾Essential medicines: Whilst Hon. Masebo has insisted that public health institutions have been furnished with adequate essential medicines and that shortages have been as a result of theft by the health personnel, President Hichilema chose to categorically acknowledge that the supply of essential medicines has been inadequate, copying and pasting Dr. Chitalu Chilufya’s earlier statements on the way forward.
◾Mini Hospitals: Hon. Dr. Chitalu Chilufya rose on a point of order at one point when Hon. Sylvia Masebo intimated at the Mini Hospitals not being important in her bid to downplay the successes posted by the previous regime in the health sector. Hon. Dr. Chilufya questioned whether Hon. Dr. Kalila, area Member of Parliament for Lukulu East, an accomplished medical practitioner, was in order not to provide counsel to the Minister of Health on the importance of Mini Hospitals, as he was sitting right behind her. Well, President Hichilema walked Hon. Dr. Chitalu Chilufya’s path, in what appeared to be another copy and paste job.
◾Local manufacturing of medicines: Whilst Hon. Sylvia Masebo has chosen to ignore Dr. Chitalu Chilufya’s counsel on the need for a deliberate policy on local manufacturing of basic but essential medicines such as pain killers or IV fluids, President Hichilema, yet again, pclearly demonstrated that he is open to progressive counsel on critical issues in the health sector when he wholesomely adopted Hon. Dr. Chitalu Chilufya’s policy on the subject matter.
It’s crucial to note that Zambia is underdeveloped because of poor leadership, leadership that has always believed that Zambia can only develop when we adopt policies devised by people who enslaved and colonized us.
Slavery and colonialism were both foreign investment initiatives to take wealth to the West just as much as the new kid on the block, Direct Foreign Investment, is. Same game, different players!
The country is extremely rich with a wide array of natural resources but we are not able to use them as our bargaining chip because we have been conditioned to go to any negotiation table as beggars. Since we have the resources that they desperately need, who should drive the negotiations?
Going forward, economic growth will only be attainable in Zambia when the exploitation of minerals is accompanied by diversification and the adoption of new technologies. This direction doesn’t just fall from heaven, this is where Dr. Chitalu Chilufya’s approach to politics becomes relevant.
Dr. Chilufya, a sober and down to earth intellectual, has been politically fought; right, left and centre, using all manner of falsehoods and some people, understandably, have fallen for these lies. “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”, is a law of propaganda. Among psychologists this is known as the “illusion of truth” effect. Unfortunately, politics in Zambia is premised on the illusion of truth trajectory.
Also Read: Politics is not war, but a contest of ideas – VJ
Zambia has relied heavily on selling commodities but not on value addition activities. As Dr. Chilufya often says…
“We need to be very competitive in the export market. So, diversification of production, export competitiveness, increased productivity and application of technology are important factors.”
The impact of economic development is what we call human economic well-being. It is not an end in itself; but the impact on people’s livelihoods is critical to attaining sustainable growth. Those who read my earlier article on his initiative on health in all policy formulation will understand why he remains the GOAT at policy formulation on economic development initiatives.
Also Watch: 2023 Budget audibly mute on health security – Dr. Chitalu Chilufya.
The need for visionary leadership to drive a life changing political agenda to address our social economic development challenges should not be underestimated. We need leaders who must put human well-being first and then design policies that support economic transformation and lead to equitable growth, which will ensure decent jobs, good service delivery, improved health, etc.
To make well-informed and thoughtful decisions, one must be able to see things from perspectives other than one’s own. Gain new perspectives by following Woodpecker’s Digest! Reading does open up a world of possibilities.
©2023 Woodpecker’s Digest.
Putting news into perspective
