Government To Recruit 3,400 Healthcare Professionals

President Lungu has announced his intention to recruit an addition 400 doctors and three thousand paramedical personnel as part of the government’s response to COVID-19.

According to a statement released on social media yesterday the President has also directed the Ministry of Health to provide incentives for all frontline health staff, and tasked it with ensuring they have sufficient protective equipment for the task ahead.

In light of the fact that Lusaka is fast emerging as a hotspot for the virus, President Lungu appealed to citizens to avoid travelling to Lusaka and for those already resident in Lusaka to avoid travelling elsewhere.

The President’s full statement reads as follows:

“Fellow Citizens,

Recently, I addressed the nation where I outlined my Government’s science-led Disease Outbreak Preparedness and Contingency Planning, and highlighted several measures under Phase One of this Plan.

Equally important, I also stated that the measures and interventions of the aforementioned Plan were scalable, based on science, facts and global best practices in public health.

In view of the above, I have with immediate effect authorized the recruitment of four hundred (400) Doctors and three-thousand (3,000) paramedical personnel – as we continue to broaden, deepen and accelerate our winning response to COVID-19.

In addition, I have directed the Ministry of Health to provide incentives for all our frontline health staff and ensure they have sufficient protective equipment as they continue to work vigorously hard to keep us all safe.

In conclusion, science and facts point to the conclusion that, unfortunately Lusaka is the epicentre of COVID-19 in Zambia. In this regard, I am urging every citizen and resident currently outside of Lusaka, to avoid traveling to our Capital city. Similarly, I am urging all Lusaka residents to avoid travelling to other towns. These measures shall prevent the further spreading of COVID-19, save lives and allow the country to quickly get back on the path of accelerated socioeconomic growth.

As President, I will continue to implement all necessary interventions and measures needed to effectively fight and defeat Covid-19 in Zambia.”