UTH water improvement project reaches advanced stage

MARY LEMBA

Lusaka

THE K69.7 million University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) water supply improvement project has reached 70 percent completion, with the remaining works expected to be completed by December this year.

Minister of Health Roma Chilengi said reliable water supply is essential in health facilities, where shortages can disrupt service delivery and expose patients to infections, including cholera.

Speaking during the ground breaking ceremony, Professor Chilengi said Government is committed to addressing long-standing water supply challenges at UTH to ensure patients receive care in a safe and hygienic environment.

He said the project demonstrates Government’s determination to restore reliable water supply at the hospital, adding that efforts will continue to ensure the improved infrastructure benefits other health facilities within the UTH premises.

Prof Chilengi said water is a fundamental human right and a non-negotiable requirement in hospitals because it is essential for patient care, sanitation, cleaning and other medical services.

“Most importantly, in the health facility, water is actually non-negotiable. There has to be water in the health facility. If we have no water, it is like saying let us close the shop, let us close the hospital because we cannot do our services without water,” he said.

Prof Chilengi urged hospital authorities to prevent water wastage caused by leaking pipes and faulty taps, noting that supplying water to the facility came at a significant cost, particularly amid the country’s energy challenges.

He further called for the improved water distribution system to benefit other institutions within the hospital premises, including the Women and Newborn Hospital and the Cancer Diseases Hospital.

And Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation Permanent Secretary Romas Kamanga said the project was initiated following the 2023 cholera outbreak, which exposed the need to strengthen water supply and sanitation infrastructure in health facilities.

In a speech read by the ministry’s director of water supply and sanitation, Richard Kangwa, Mr Kamanga said the ministry engaged Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company in the last quarter of 2023 to assess UTH’s water infrastructure and recommend improvements. https://enews.daily-mail.co.zm/welcome/home