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In a bid to improve access to quality healthcare services, the Hon. Minister of Health Dr Elijah Julaki Muchima has signed a $427 million contract with NMS Infrastructure for the design, construction and equipping of five Level 1 District Hospitals and 120 rural Health Centres nationwide in Zambia.

Speaking during the contract signing ceremony on 15 August 2024, which was live-streamed on social media, Dr Muchima declared that the three-year investment programme will be “transformative” towards the Government’s aim to provide universal health coverage and is designed to improve access to healthcare:

“One of the key ways we have been working to achieve this is by investing heavily in expanding and upgrading health facilities nationwide” he said. “Access to quality healthcare has been a challenge for many Zambians, especially those living in rural and hard-to-reach areas. Too many of our citizens are having to travel long distances to reach the nearest hospital or clinic.”

He announced that the new district hospitals will be strategically located to serve as hubs for comprehensive healthcare, offering a wide range of in-patient and out-patient services, including surgery, diagnostics, and emergency care.

The programme is expected to be completed by 2027.

On 21st September, HE President Hakainde Hichilema officially commissioned Mambwe District Hospital in Zambia. The event was attended by Ms. Berni Smith, a representative from the British High Commission, with Iain Maclean and Alistair Johnston on behalf of NMSI.

The President expressed delight with the state-of-the-art facilities and stated that they should be the blueprint for all hospitals in Zambia. He was pleased with the quality and design of the hospital, particularly that the maternity ward is adjacent to the operating theatre in case of emergencies.

SDG 9 aims to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation”. The resilience of Zambia’s national infrastructure to climate change is crucial because, although Zambia has contributed little to global greenhouse gas emissions, it is expected to face significant effects because of anthropogenic climate change, including an increase in temperatures and increasingly intermittent and declining overall levels of rainfall. Rural areas in Zambia with weak health infrastructure are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts, such as heat stress, malnutrition, vector-borne, and water-borne diseases that are increased risks as a result of the predicted changes in climate.

The Zambia Health Facilities Programme improves the geographical reach and quality of Zambia’s healthcare infrastructure, contributing to Target 9.1 to “develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure […] to support economic development and human well-being”. Reliability and resilience are enhanced through specific design aspects, including:

• Implementing surface water drainage systems that closely mimic natural processes, improving attenuation, infiltration, and local aquifer recharge.
• Building naturally ventilated buildings with a highly insulated walling system to better resist thermal transfer.
• Incorporating water and electricity storage and backup systems for use during the dry season and incidences of adverse weather.
• Minimising site vegetation and topsoil stripping to prevent desertification, retain groundwater, and reduce local ambient temperatures.

Innovative construction technologies and techniques have also made significant contributions to Target 9.4, which seeks to “upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resourceuse efficiency and greater adoption of clean and
environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes”. For example, the engineered steel frame system helps reduce the embodied carbon of the facilities by decreasing the superstructure’s weight without compromising its strength, resulting in reduced concrete usage for the substructure. Concrete production is responsible for up to 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions.

To enhance resource-use efficiency during operation, the facilities incorporate renewable energy sources, such as solar water, and solar PV electrical power – nearly half of the facilities operate off-grid without connection to mains electricity.

Taken together, the programme supports human well-being by improving existing infrastructure and enhancing the reliability, resilience, and sustainability of Zambia’s healthcare system

The successful delivery of the first Operational Environmental and Social Management Plan (OESMP) handover training at Mfuwe District Hospital took place on 11th August. To be delivered to staff at all five District Hospitals, the training communicates the management measures outlined in the OESMP. With 29 individuals present, the training was well attended by hospital staff members, with job titles ranging from nurses to landscapers and cooks to radiographers.

The new 80-bed Mfuwe District Hospital at Mambwe, Zambia has been completed and was handed over on 15 June 2023.

The event was attended by a delegation of regional heads, led by Provincial Health Director, Dr Mathews Ng’Ambi; Council Secretary, Lwawa A.K. John; AHEMO officer, Chishimba Mwansa; Provincial Infrastructure Officer, Wilson Chifwima; and Musonda Aubrey of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure; with NMSI represented by Clerk of Works, Godfrey Tauseni and Biomedical Technician, Jonathan Chewe.

Providing modern surgical facilities with a wide array of state of the art medical equipment, the hospital is set to make a significant contribution to the health and wellness of the region’s populace.

On June 5th the United Nation’s (UN) World Environment Day took place, which aims to put an annual spotlight on pressing environmental challenges. This year the theme was plastic pollution, and the Zambia programme played its part through activities undertaken by NMSI’s Environmental Engineer.

Toolbox talks were delivered to workers on-site at Mwansabombwe, Kitwe and Ndola District Hospitals, raising awareness of the problems of plastic pollution and introducing solutions. Other sessions to raise awareness also took place off-site with local communities.

NMSI’s Environmental Engineer visited a local orphanage neighbouring Mwansabombwe District Hospital to introduce the children and staff to World Environment Day and discuss what they could do to help reduce plastic pollution in their community.

Members of the on-site workforce also made footballs out of plastic waste to donate to the orphanage. A similar engagement also took place at Intulo Primary Schoolby Ndola District Hospital. The on-site workers made small bins out of plastic waste.

NMS Infrastructure was proud to donate materials to the Women Entrepreneurs Development Association of Zambia (WEDAZ) in the making of reusable sanitary towels in the Kanakantapa community of Chongwe.

WEDAZ undertakes training for women and youth in local communities, empowering female members in the development of reusable sanitaryware. In Kanakantapa, the organization trained a total of 320 women across four days.

Natasha Mumba, Community Team Leader, reiterated their mission, stating, ‘we shall see to it that every woman is covered with reusable pads and no woman and youth shall lack during menstruation.’

Miya Zulu, a representative from WEDAZ, stated, ‘we shall cherish this with all we have… May the good Lord continue blessing NMS for the donations to helping women of the Kanakantapa community. I am excited as this empowerment is going to go a long way.’

Meanwhile, Grace Mwale, a further WEDAZ representative, emphasized, ‘this programme will not just teach our women and youth on how to make these reusable towels, but it shall also empower them. They will be the first group to produce these towels and to sell to communities, making all the women and youth of this community financially independent.’