31 Vehicles to Improve Mobility and Efficiency of Zambia’s Health Teams

The Ministry of Health, with support from the Global Fund, has officially received 31 motor vehicles to boost the operational capacity of provincial and district health offices.

The handover ceremony, held on 2 March 2026 in Lusaka, was presided over by Cornelius Mweetwa, Acting Minister of Health, who read the official speech on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Zambia. 

The event marks a strategic investment in service delivery, supervision, disease surveillance, and rapid response across the country’s health system.

In his remarks, Hon. Mweetwa highlighted that the vehicles are more than transport assets, they are critical tools for improving healthcare delivery, outbreak response, diagnostic services, and oversight. The total investment amounts to ZMW 27,625,344.61 (approximately USD 1,000,594.40).

The vehicles have been allocated to key health institutions to maximise their impact:

• Laboratory Services Unit: strengthen specimen referral networks, improve diagnostic turnaround, and enhance surveillance for priority diseases, including antimicrobial resistance.
• National Malaria Elimination Centre: support field surveillance, case investigation, vector control supervision, and data verification as Zambia progresses toward malaria elimination.
• Zambia National Public Health Institute: enhance outbreak preparedness, field epidemiology investigations, and integrated disease surveillance supervision.
• National Health Insurance Management Authority: improve provider accreditation, monitoring, and accountability under Universal Health Coverage.
• University Teaching Hospital HIV Programme: support specialised outreach, patient follow-up, and referral coordination for improved retention in care.

Hon. Mweetwa emphasised that the vehicles are fully registered, insured, branded, asset-tagged, and ready for immediate deployment, and noted that post-distribution verification will ensure they are used strictly for public health purposes.

“Collectively, this investment will reduce operational bottlenecks, strengthen supervision, improve timeliness from detection to response, and enhance last-mile implementation of critical health interventions,” he said.

He also urged beneficiary institutions to manage the vehicles responsibly, maintain them diligently, and deploy them exclusively in support of approved programme activities, stressing that accountability and stewardship will determine the long-term value of the investment.

The Acting Minister concluded by thanking the Global Fund for its continued partnership, noting that the collaboration strengthens Zambia’s health system and directly supports Universal Health Coverage and the objectives of the Eighth National Development Plan.