$3.6bn health boost

Prof Chilengi said the agreement would be formally signed at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning and described the development as an important milestone in the co-financing of Zambia’s health sector.

He said the United States had historically been a critical partner in supporting healthcare delivery in Zambia and that the new financing arrangement would augment Government’s efforts to improve health services.

Prof Chilengi said the MoU had initially attracted concerns regarding data protection, intellectual property, benefit sharing and specimen sharing, but the issues had since been addressed during negotiations.

He said the revised agreement did not provide for the sharing of individual patient information, but only contained data required for monitoring and evaluating programmes supported under the agreement.

“Therefore, we are very happy to proceed to sign the MoU as revised. The approach of the MoU is that over the next five years, the US Government is committing to support the Zambian Government with funding that will augment the work that we do,” the minister said.

Prof Chilengi also dismissed speculation that the agreement was linked to Zambia’s mineral resources, particularly critical minerals.

“As Ministry of Health, we never ever saw any MoU that speaks to critical minerals,” he said, adding that there was no mention of critical minerals in the health agreement.

The minister said the agreement required Zambia to increase its contribution to health over the five-year period.

He also disclosed that Zambia had submitted a US$315 million funding request to Global Fund for the 2027-2029 period, alongside more than US$200 million in prioritised needs.

Prof Chilengi said Government had increased the health budget from K13 billion in 2022 to K26 billion in 2026, describing the increase as a demonstration of its commitment to improving citizens’ well being. https://enews.daily-mail.co.zm/welcome/home