LUSAKA, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Thursday announced its plans to spearhead a nationwide digital health agenda aimed at revolutionizing healthcare delivery for every citizen.
"Our commitment involves significant investments in innovation and digital technologies that will enhance healthcare access and efficiency," said Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo during a meeting with Ernest Massiah from the World Bank Health Nutrition and Population in the East Africa Region.
Masebo said the government intends to establish a robust information technology infrastructure connecting healthcare providers, improving patient care and strengthening healthcare management. The initiative aims to introduce telemedicine, electronic health records, drones for health service delivery and data analysis solutions to the country's healthcare system.
The goal is to ensure that every Zambian, regardless of their location, benefits from the latest advancements in digital healthcare, Masebo said. Additionally, the government plans to decentralize primary healthcare to local authorities as part of efforts to achieve universal health coverage.
The minister expressed gratitude to the World Bank for its support in various health sector programs. In response, the World Bank representative commended Zambia for progress made in improving the health sector and the overall development agenda.
"We now have artificial intelligence which we did not have 20 years ago. There is (a) need to scale up national transformation through innovation," Massiah said.
