Health CareAdvocacy

23/08/2025

Zambia to Launch Bilateral Injectable ARVs Administration in 2026

Zambia is forecasted to update its HIV treatment policy by 2026 with the introduction of long-acting injectable ARVs (antiretroviral drugs).

This new treatment is set to be less invasive as it will be administered only twice a year, allowing patients to sidestep the daily regimens. Dr. Chimika Phiri, the HIV Prevention Lead from the Ministry stated that the rollout could be as early as January 2026, starting with patients on third-line treatment.

Dr. Phiri stated that the plan demonstrates the government’s commitment to modern approaches that optimize treatment accessibility while reducing social stigma. He added that injectable ARVs offer the needed discretion that formerly prescribed treatments lack, allowing patients to better adhere to therapy.

Apart from readily adopting modern technologies like the Cabotegravir two-monthly injectable Pre-Exposure, Zambia has also leapfrogged other nations in adopting two-monthly injectable Pre-Exposure (PrEP) – a pioneering step into the first-initiated use of the prevention tool.

The new injectable ARV administered biannually is expected to boost viral suppression rates as well as improve the quality of life of HIV patients by reducing the number of daily doses patients need to take.

Zambia Reports | August 2rd, 2025.

21/08/2025

38.7% of the 452 accredited HealthCare Providers to NHIMA are public, while 52.6% are privately owned and 8.6% faith based.

114 public facilities- level 1, 2and 3

61 public facilities- mini hospitals

39 faith based health facilities

238 Private Health facilities

I am glad to learn that seven public hospitals have been equipped with new CT and MRI scanners through funding from NHIMA.

My suggestion to NHIMA is to get more rural public heath facilities accredited to carter for more people beyond the urban areas.



Christopher Kang'ombe
21/08/2025

17/08/2025

MAZABUKA HOSPITAL UNDER FIRE AS TWIN PRONOUNCED DEAD WAKES UP ON WAY TO MORTUARY

By Helga Chibwe

A family from Mwanachingwala Chiefdom has expressed deep disappointment over what they describe as negligence by nurses at Mazabuka General Hospital.

The concern arises after the hospital reportedly pronounced newborn twins dead, only for one of them to show signs of life while being taken to the mortuary.

According to the twins’ grandmother, the delivery began at a rural health centre in Mwanachingwala, where only one baby was delivered initially.

Due to complications, health officials arranged for an emergency transfer to Mazabuka General Hospital.

At the hospital, the second baby was delivered. However, the attending nurse reportedly informed the family that both babies were stillborn.

Shockingly, while on the way to the graveyard near the mortuary, the family noticed movement from one of the babies, who had already been wrapped for burial.

They immediately returned to the hospital to demand answers on how a living child could have been wrongly declared dead.

Some family members allege that negligence may have contributed to the death of the other twin and are calling for accountability from hospital authorities.

A press query has since been sent to Southern Provincial Health Director Dr. Calistus Kaayunga, who said he will provide a statement once full details are available.

The surviving baby is currently admitted at Mazabuka General Hospital.

Source: Diamond TV

28/07/2025

27/06/2025

MUCHIMA PRAISES CRITICAL CARE NURSES AS BACKBONE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES

Minister of Health, Dr. Elijah Muchima, has commended the role played by Critical Care Nurses in the country, describing them as the backbone of emergency medical services.

Speaking at the official opening of the 3rd Critical Care and Emergency and Trauma Nurses Conference in Ndola, Friday, Muchima stressed the importance of the section in supporting patients.

He stated that Critical Care Nurses provide care from emergency response through to rehabilitation, hence acting out their role of advocates, helpers, and caregivers, which is crucial to saving lives.

Muchima pledged that his Ministry will review the current staff establishment to reflect the growing number of specialized and highly trained critical care nurses.

He also urged nurses to continue upskilling, noting that the government is committed to ensuring quality delivery of healthcare services across the country.

Themed “Critical Care Without Walls: From Emergency Department to Rehabilitation,” the conference attracted participants from across Zambia and the region.

For more details, tune in to Byta FM 90.3/100.3/101.9 or

Listen to Byta FM Radio 90.3 from Choma live on Radio Garden

27/06/2025

We held a productive meeting with the "End Malaria Council of Zambia", led by its President, Mr. Godwin Beene. As their Patron, we received a comprehensive presentation on the Council’s challenges and strategic vision to control, and ultimately eradicate, malaria in Zambia.

Malaria remains one of the most pressing public health issues affecting our communities. It not only endangers lives but also undermines national productivity and economic growth. To address this, we must intensify public awareness efforts in close collaboration with the Ministries of Health, Information, and Education. Raising knowledge and changing attitudes at the community level is essential in the fight against this disease.

Equally important is strengthening Zambia’s capacity to manufacture essential medicines locally. Reducing reliance on unpredictable donor aid and imported drugs is critical for building long-term resilience. As Government, we are committed to promoting local pharmaceutical manufacturing through targeted policy incentives and positive discrimination in public procurement.

Malaria is a deadly but preventable disease. Government will continue to allocate more resources towards its awareness, control, and treatment, because every life saved contributes to a stronger, healthier Zambia.

Hakainde Hichilema,
President of the Republic of Zambia.

25/06/2025

A Tele-surgery performed using Robotic machine☺️

24/06/2025

😥😥😥

19/06/2025

FDA approves twice-a-year injection for HIV prevention

(CNN) A drug currently used to treat certain HIV infections has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to be used to prevent HIV.

Gilead Sciences, maker of the drug, announced that a twice-a-year injection of lenacapavir has been approved in the United States for HIV prevention under the brand name Yeztugo.

In clinical trials, the drug was found to dramatically reduce the risk of infection and provide near-total protection against HIV, significantly more than the primary options available for pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP.

Therapies called PrEP have been used to prevent HIV infections for years. In the United States, this may involve taking pills, such as a daily medication called Truvada, or getting shots, such as injections every two months of the medication Apretude.

But a twice-yearly shot of lenacapavir has now become another option in the prevention toolbox – making it the first and only such shot for HIV prevention.

“Yeztugo could be the transformative PrEP option we’ve been waiting for – offering the potential to boost PrEP uptake and persistence and adding a powerful new tool in our mission to end the HIV epidemic,” Dr. Carlos del Rio, a distinguished professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine and co-director of the Emory Center for AIDS Research, said in a Gilead news release.

“A twice-yearly injection could greatly address key barriers like adherence and stigma, which individuals on more frequent PrEP dosing regimens, especially daily oral PrEP, can face. We also know that, in research, many people who need or want PrEP preferred less frequent dosing.”

With any PrEP drug, “by having that medicine in your bloodstream or in your body, if you encounter HIV, it blocks it from taking hold. It arrests infection from taking hold,” said Dr. Jared Baeten, senior vice president of clinical development and the virology the

06/06/2025

This is what I think,

Here is a scenario, for most psychiatric patients, you find that they are being treated for their conditions at the hospital, but after they are allowed to go home, even when their symptoms have reduced, the people in the community will still regard them as psychiatric patients and the person ends up suffering stigma.

So I can say it's hard for a psychiatric patient to fully recover even when they go home because, their condition (eg depression) can worsen due to the stigma they face once they go back to their community.

05/06/2025

Govt in talks to export medical personnel to countries with shortages - Muchima

By Diggers Reporter

MINISTER of Health Dr Elijah Muchima has revealed government is actively engaging in talks with countries experiencing shortages of medical personnel, aiming to facilitate the export of Zambia’s healthcare professionals.
Dr Muchima has further disclosed plans to recruit 2,000 healthcare workers this year, including doctors, nurses, midwives, and laboratory technicians.
Speaking at

https://diggers.news/local/2025/06/05/govt-in-talks-to-export-medical-personnel-to-countries-with-shortages-muchima/

Read more @ Diggers.News

MINISTER of Health Dr Elijah Muchima has revealed government is actively engaging in talks with countries experiencing shortages of medical personnel, aiming to facilitate the export of Zambia’s healthcare professionals. Dr Muchima has further disclosed plans to recruit 2,000 healthcare workers th...