World Bank approves fund to boost Zambia's health sector

The World Bank has approved funds totaling 67 million U.S. dollars to help Zambia improve its public health system, the bank said Tuesday in a statement. The Bank has approved a 52 million dollar credit under the International Development Assistance and a 15 million dollar grant which will benefit about 1.2 million women of reproductive age. It will also benefit 1.1 million children under five years old, the statement said. World Bank Country Director for Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe Kundhavi Kadiresan said the project will specifically support supply side interventions such as improving the availability of skilled care, increasing the availability of health and nutrition commodities and strengthening referral linkages through results- based approaches. The five-year project covers five of Zambia's 10 provinces. It will support government's efforts to accelerate progress towards maternal and child health Millennium Development Goals as well as support the country to be better prepared in tackling emerging challenges such as non-communicable diseases. "This project focus on broadening sharing of social and health services to the poor and under-served, and will enhance the government's health sector vision of equity of access to assured quality, cost-effective and affordable health services as close to the family as possible," Netsanet Waleign Workie, the Bank's Task Team Leader of the Project said in the statement.